Glee: The New York Story
by Fire Girl125
Summary: Follow Rachel, Finn, Kurt and Santana as they try to navigate New York City while dealing with heartache, love and hardships. Will end in Finchel. Brittana, Klaine.
1. 1x01: New York State Of Mind

_**Note: Guess who's back with a brand new Glee story! My newest story follows Rachel, Finn [yes, Finn is alive], Kurt and Santana in New York. I got the idea from the Ryan Murphy idea before Season 4 where there was consideration of having a New York spin-off, so I decided to write one, adding Finn and Santana in the mix. Bare with me here, this is only Chapter One, so it's not going to be lights out but it will get better as time goes on. Enough of my mumbling, here's the first "episode": "New York State Of Mind"**_

_**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Glee, but I wish I did.**_

* * *

Rachel Berry walked along the city of New York, rolling her little pink suitcase while wearing her red overcoat in awe. The buildings were taller than in her dreams, each store more extravagant as the next, the food smelled nothing like the food back in Lima, Ohio and the people…well the people weren't that nice, but it was still better than what was in Lima, Ohio. In Lima, Rachel may have been _the_ star but in New York she was just another aspiring artist, trying to make it in the world. In three weeks, she'll be in NYADA, as a freshman, she'll begin her journey to take on the world. The first thing Rachel had to do—she had to find an apartment for her to live in during the year.

She had been looking in the classified section of the _Daily News_ hoping that she could find an apartment of her own, trying to find the perfect location. She had narrowed it down to three places in New York: One in Co-Op City, which was near the Bronx, a brownstone in Brooklyn, and an apartment in downtown Manhattan. After much debate, Rachel decided to move into the brownstone that was in Brooklyn. The Co-Op in the Bronx was too far and Rachel heard that the last tenants to move into the Manhattan moved out because there were hauntings of a ghost woman singing scales in the bathroom. Rachel figured the brownstone was the perfect place. She would have all the room she would need, she could bring Kurt out from Lima to New York whenever she wanted to with the extra bedrooms and her dads were paying for the apartment anyway.

Rachel opened the door to her new apartment, staring at the empty building. She nodded her head, closing the gigantic door behind her, taking in the work she'd have to do around the house. She'd need to paint the walls, get some furniture, get a cable-man out here to connect her television and then it would be the perfect abode, right? Rachel looked around, thinking that something was missing—something big. She just wasn't sure what was missing yet.

* * *

"WAKE UP CALL!" A sergeant clanged a bell around the quarters as the men who were enrolled in the army began to wake up. As they got out of their beds, the sergeant realized that there was one person missing from the soldiers. The sergeant walked over to one of the cots, seeing that Finn Hudson was still asleep. Apparently, Finn didn't hear that it was time to get up. The sergeant tapped Finn's shoulder, causing the young adult to mutter. His eyelids fluttered, finally staring at his commander in chief. Finn suddenly got up, but banged his head against the top bunk, mentally cursing himself for choosing the bottom bunk. "Did you have a good sleep?" The sergeant asked, crossing his arms, trying to sound sympathetic towards Finn.

"Actually…no." Finn said, rubbing his head. "It didn't help that I banged my head. Like, they should really consider making bottom bunks for tall people."

"It's not my fault you're disturbingly tall." The sergeant then took out his megaphone and put it to his mouth. "WHEN I SAY WAKE UP CALL, IT'S A WAKEUP CALL! NOW GET! WE HAVE TRAINING! MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!" Finn suddenly got out of the bed, quickly grabbing his combat boots to prepare for another day of training. Finn liked that the army was fast paced, but he didn't like the fact that they had to be so demanding all the time. He didn't get how his father put up with it. Finn quickly got out of the room before the sergeant could say anything else to him. He had to get to work.

* * *

Finn exited the training building, staring at his surroundings. It was another hot, balmy day in Georgia, where his training camp was based at, noticing that his fellow soldiers were eating their breakfast. Finn thought about joining them, but his thoughts were against it when he noticed that they were all staring at him with cold looks. A moment later, they started muttering, with Finn wondering what they were saying. Finn decided to just get his breakfast and take a seat by himself. He wasn't well liked amongst his fellow soldiers. They thought that he was too scrawny—or possibly that he was too tall. What good would a tall soldier be in combat when the enemy could spot him right away? Every time Finn's height was brought up, he felt self-conscious about himself. Rachel liked that he was tall; she said that he was like a gigantic teddy bear. _Rachel_. Just the thought of Rachel made Finn smile. Rachel was his entire world and he missed her more than anything—but he had to do anything to avenge his father. He wanted to make his father proud. Even if that meant leaving everything he loved behind. Finn grabbed a banana from one of the bowls, making his way to one of the outdoor benches, then placing himself in one of the chairs, just absentmindedly wondering whether or not he was cut out for this life. He now understood what the commercials meant when they said they could make their children "army strong." Problem was, he wasn't sure he wanted to be this strong. He wanted to be strong enough. Not stronger than the entire world. Finn took a bite out of the banana, still not saying a word. He could feel the others speaking about him, hearing their words about how he messed up yesterday during training. Finn knew that he messed up. He didn't need everyone telling him about how poorly he did. Yesterday while the others were training, Finn had tripped over one of the tires, causing him to be yelled at by Sergeant Nettles. Sergeant Nettles was a tough commander, he was trying to bring out the best of these men, but to Finn it felt like Sergeant Nettles was bullying him. Also, Sergeant Nettles's name reminded Finn how much he wanted Skittles most of the time. Speaking of the devil, Sergeant Nettles came out of the tent, staring over at the soldiers in training.

"All right soldiers, line it up" Sergeant Nettles snapped, as the other soldiers formed a line in front of him. Finn took one last bite of his banana, then rushed over to the line with the other soldiers. The soldier that was standing next to him moved one-step over, causing Finn to raise an eyebrow towards him. Finn then remembered: he was the outcast here because he was freakishly tall. Whatever happened to the saying 'love thy brother'? Since they were all soldiers, weren't they all brothers here? Finn scoffed softly, hoping that no one noticed him, but of course, Sergeant Nettles noticed him—walking over to him and starting into Finn's eyes. "Something wrong…punk?" Finn stared at Sergeant Nettles for a moment, not sure whether to answer, then realized it might have been for the best if he did. Finn quickly shook his head, not wanting to bring attention to him. "I can't hear you." Sergeant Nettles nudged Finn a bit violently, causing Finn to take a deep breath.

"Sir, no sir!" Finn said loud enough for Sergeant Nettles to hear.

"I can't hear you…" Sergeant Nettles nudged Finn once again.

"SIR, NO SIR!" Finn yelled this time.

"Good…" Sergeant Nettles walked past Finn, looking at the other soldiers. "Listen up! Today we're going to be testing your agility and then we're going to give you your rifles to clean. Do you hear me?"

"SIR, YES SIR!" All the soldiers yelled.

"Good! Get in your position!" Finn turned around with the other soldiers following him, causing Finn to release a slight grin. This was the first time that he had felt like a leader—even if it was to the starting line. As Finn stood at the line with the other soldiers, he couldn't help but feel that a montage was coming on, with him and his other soldiers standing on the front line, getting ready to do their work—with one extra step. "All right! Go!"

{_Finn and the other soldiers run across the track, each trying to get the fastest time}_

_I'm waking up, to ash and dust  
I wipe my brow and I sweat my rust  
I'm breathing in the chemicals  
I'm breaking in, I'm shaping up  
And checking out of the prison bus  
This is it, the apocalypse  
Woah,_

{_Finn is in the gym punching a bag while singing, not letting his guard down, being more determined_}

_I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones  
Enough to make my system blow  
Welcome to the new age, to the new age  
Welcome to the new age, to the new age  
Whoa, Whoa I'm radioactive, radioactive  
Whoa, Whoa I'm radioactive, radioactive_

{_Finn walks around the room empty, staring at a picture of him and Rachel_}

_All systems go, the sun hasn't died  
Deep in my bones, straight from inside_

{_Finn and the other soldiers are sitting in their seats, cleaning their rifles and flipping them in a choreographic matter_}

[_Finn with Soldiers_]  
_I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones  
Enough to make my system blow  
Welcome to the new age, to the new age  
Welcome to the new age, to the new age  
Whoa, Whoa I'm radioactive, radioactive  
Whoa, Whoa I'm radioactive, radioactive_

"BAM!" All the soldiers turned to Finn, realizing that Finn had shot himself in the leg with his rifle. Finn's eyes widened at the sight of blood coming from his leg that in the next moment he knew, he fainted.

* * *

An hour later, Finn was in the infirmary getting his leg bandaged, himself feeling immensely embarrassed by the whole situation. He never thought that he would have shot himself in his thigh. In fact, he thought he was going to die after being shot. A lot of people have died with shots to the leg since it could hit an artery or something, but Finn was the lucky one. He had avoided injury—but now he was going to have to see Sergeant Nettles about his little incident. There was no way that Finn could combat with the others. And there was also no way that they were going to let Finn just sit on the sidelines until his leg healed. He wasn't sure what was going to happen to him, but the end result probably wasn't going to be good. Finn heard Sergeant Nettles enter the infirmary, taking a seat near Finn as Finn simply eyed him. Since the day Finn had gotten there (sixteen days ago to be exact), he and Sergeant Nettles never got along. They were as different as different could be. Finn was somewhat of a slacker when he needed his sleep and Sergeant Nettles could pull three back-to-back-to-back all-nighters if he wanted to. Finn possibly thought Sergeant Nettles was crazy—then again, so did everyone else. Sergeant Nettles cleared his throat, looking at Finn with solemn.

"So what did the doctor say?" Sergeant Nettles asked. Finn raised an eyebrow towards Sergeant Nettles, releasing a sigh.

"It missed bone. It hit cartilage instead." Finn answered, feeling his cheeks flush in humiliation. "They think it might be too dangerous to take the bullet out so they're going to leave it in there." Sergeant Nettles nodded his head, folding his hand while Finn ran a hand through his head. "This is so embarrassing."

"Finn…why did you join the army in the first place, and don't say it was your lifelong dream to be in the army." Finn heard the gruffness in Sergeant Nettles's voice once again.

"I joined because my father had a dishonorable discharge. I wanted to make him proud so I joined the army." Finn said. Sergeant Nettles nodded his head slowly, taking the paper he had out of his pocket and handing it to Finn. Finn took the paper, opening it up and realized what it was after a moment. It was a letter of discharge. Sergeant Nettles was kicking him out of the army. "Wait, so I accidentally shoot myself with my own gun and I get discharged? What kind of crap is that?!" Finn felt the anger rush through his body. Sergeant Nettles leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms.

"Finn, let me tell you something." Sergeant Nettles kept his gaze fixated on Finn as he spoke, Finn's anger disappearing. "You need roots before branches—and in order to have those roots, you need to have a foundation. The army—isn't your foundation. You're more suitable for music or something. You're not suited for the army. Wanting to avenge your father just means that you're living your life to make him happy. You need to do you…and here isn't it." Finn listened intently as Sergeant Nettles continued. "Sometimes there are things that were meant to be. You can't change the past, but you can change your future. Don't think of this as a punishment, but think of this as an opportunity to re-think your choices. You only get one life, Finn. Don't waste it." Finn nodded his head while looking at the paper, then back up towards Sergeant Nettles.

"So is this a dishonorable discharge or something?" Finn asked, waving the paper around. Sergeant Nettles shook his head.

"Semi-honorable." Sergeant Nettles got up from his seat and walked over to Finn. "You need to have some dignity left when you leave." Sergeant Nettles patted Finn's shoulder then made his way out the door, closing it behind him. Finn continued to eye the paper that was in his hand. He was now out of the army—and now he needed a new plan for his future. What was he going to do now? Finn dejectedly headed towards the infirmary door, but then noticed that there was a backdoor. He couldn't face all those soldiers knowing that he had just been kicked out of the army. Finn headed towards the backdoor, closing it behind him, once again lost and not knowing where to go next. As Finn limped to the latest bus stop, he heard his phone vibrate, causing him to go into his pocket and taking his phone out. He saw a picture of Rachel in front of a pizzeria in the greatest city in the world: New York. Finn intently stared at the picture a little more, letting an idea form in his brain. Finn opened up an app for airplane travel and spent the next five minutes booking a flight. Finn Hudson was no longer lost—he knew exactly what he was going to do. He was going to New York City.

* * *

Kurt Hummel walked along the streets of Lima, Ohio currently heading to his job at the Lima Bean. After not getting into NYADA following High School, Kurt didn't know what he was going to do with his life. He figured that he'd spend his time with Blaine until he actually did figure what he wanted to do. Kurt entered the Lima Bean, seeing Blaine sitting at one of the seats, instructing Kurt to come towards him. Kurt's heart melted every time that he saw Blaine. Blaine was his first love. There was no one else like Blaine. As a matter of fact, Kurt thought that there was only one person for him, and that was Blaine. Kurt sat in the seat across from him, realizing that his boss wasn't there yet. He would have to make this conversation with Blaine brief.

"You know I have to get to work." Kurt muttered, staring at Blaine.

"I know, I know." Blaine nodded his head, grabbing Kurt's hand quickly. "Look, I need to ask you something and this is something that I think that you need to be asked."

"If this has to do with your hair gel, then I have no answers. I don't use hair gel." Kurt shrugged his shoulders. Blaine slightly chuckled, then rubbed his thumb on Kurt's knuckles.

"What I was going to ask you is do you plan on working at the Lima Bean all year?" Blaine questioned.

"Why not?" Kurt shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, I get to work here and still see you every day. I even can go and help the Glee Club whenever I want to. I mean, it's not that big of a deal."

"But it kind of is." Blaine pressed on. "Kurt, when you graduated from McKinley you were supposed to start a new chapter in your life, one that's exciting and full of wonder. Instead, you're just here—sitting in the Lima Bean about to work a 6 hour shift of serving coffee and scones for minimum wage. Kurt, you need to do something with your life."

"But I don't know if you noticed that I'm quite content with my life, Blaine." Kurt wasn't sure why Blaine was pressuring him into going out into the real world. The real world was scary to Kurt. There was nothing more frightening than not being in the confines of High School, going to the choir room and singing about your feelings. Now Kurt had to cope with his feelings like a normal person, and that included not singing.

"Are you? Are you really content?" Blaine asked. "Didn't you have dreams of going to New York with Rachel and Finn in High School?"

"I did…but Rachel was the only one accepted to NYADA, God knows where Finn is…and I'm here." Kurt said. "Like I said Blaine, I am more than content with my life, and there's really nothing that's going to change my mind."

"Kurt…" Blaine's voice became a bit firm this time, startling Kurt. "I know you're not happy here. You're just saying that because you don't want to lose me. But you're not going to lose me if that's what you're worried about."

"I'm not worried about losing you." Kurt released a small groan, shaking his head. "I'm not worried about that at all. I'm not…I'm not worried."

"And I think you are." Blaine said. Kurt looked beyond Blaine's shoulder, spotting his boss coming in through the kitchen. Kurt took one last look at Blaine, getting up from his chair and grabbing his apron.

"I have to get to work, Blaine. I'm sorry." Kurt exhaled.

"But we can talk later, right?" Blaine probed. Kurt nodded his head, patting Blaine's back softly as he made his way to the register. Blaine couldn't help but feel that there was something he could do for Kurt. Kurt was always there helping him with his problems, so Blaine felt like he was obligated to help Kurt with his problems.

* * *

"New York is great." Rachel had her ear to the phone as she walked through the house, going into the kitchen to drop off some groceries. "It's actually rather refreshing."

"_Oh really?"_ Kurt's voice came though the phone as Rachel put the vegetables in the fridge. _"Well, I kind of wish that I was there instead of working at the Lima Bean."_

"Why are you working at the Lima Bean?" Rachel wondered, closing the fridge and holding the phone close to her ear.

"_Because I need some extra cash and I could be near Blaine all the time."_ Kurt answered without giving it a thought. Rachel thought about Kurt's answer for a moment, then released a slight smirk.

"Does it only have to do with Blaine?" Rachel speculated.

"_Yes, it only has to do with Blaine_._"_ Kurt said.

"I don't know; the more times you say it, the less convincing it sounds." Rachel grinned at Kurt's words.

"_Enough about me, missy." _Kurt tried to change the subject. _"How is New York, I mean it might be frightening because there's so many different people._"

"Yeah, there are." Rachel agreed. "I mean there are so many people that are just like me and you there. I really wish that you were here. I mean, I'm fine by myself but sometimes New York can make a girl lonely."

"_So did you see NYADA yet? Is it as beautiful as they say?_" Kurt pressed on.

"I saw the school, I thought it was beautiful." Rachel said with a smile. "And the courses, there are so many courses there. I could take theatre or I could take introduction to music. And I'm sure I'll make some new friends here. There's no saying that I won't."

"_I know you'll make new friends, Rachel. You're with your own kind now. There are no snobby cheerleaders or jocks._" Kurt assured her.

"Oh, you wouldn't know that." Rachel chuckled, sitting down on one of the kitchen chairs. "I think that the ballerinas are the snobby cheerleaders and jocks would be the fencers. That's just the impression I got."

"_You're going to do fine."_ Kurt stopped talking for a moment as Rachel heard another voice on the other end.

"Someone's there?" Rachel asked.

"_Yeah, it's my boss. Rachel, can I call you back after work?_" Kurt sounded apologetic.

"Of course, you can. Don't worry about it." Rachel assured him. After saying their goodbyes, Rachel hung up the phone, then looked around her apartment. She had to admit that she was a little lonely. She missed having Kurt's fashion sense, she missed the Glee Club, she missed Santana making snide remarks, and she even missed Finn. She missed him. Rachel heard a knock at the door as she turned her head, wondering who was there. She had only given an exclusive list her new apartment yet she was sure everyone was across the country somewhere. Rachel got up from the chair, walking to the door and sliding it open, her eyes widening at the sight before her. She had to do a double take to make sure that she was seeing everything correctly. Standing right in front of her with dirty clothes, a backpack that looked like it has been through hell and his leg bandaged was _Finn_. Rachel raised an eyebrow at him, seeing that he was staring back at her.

"Rachel…" Finn muttered in awe as Rachel looked back at him.

"Finn…" Rachel spoke in the same tone. Rachel wasn't bored anymore—she was now wondering what Finn was doing here—and she had a feeling she was going to get an explanation.

* * *

"So let me get this straight…" Rachel put a cup of tea in front of Finn as they both sat in the kitchen a half hour later. "You shot yourself in the thigh with a gun and you were just…let go?"

"Yep, that's pretty much the story." Finn said. "Also my sergeant told me that the army wasn't for me. He said I was trying to live through my father."

"Well, you were trying to live through your father a bit, Finn." Rachel agreed. "I mean you were so set on wanting to be an actor and then…boom. You changed your mind then enrolled in the army."

"I know it's just…I wanted to make him proud you know." Finn sighed. "I wanted to make my mom proud and I know he's watching up there in heaven, but I wanted to make my dad proud. I wanted to make _you_ proud. I didn't want to be a Lima Loser. I wanted to have a place where I had purpose. Right now, I'm not quite sure what purpose I have in this world."

"Finn, everyone has a purpose in this world. You'll find your purpose. You may not have found it today—but you will find it." Rachel sat in the chair next to Finn, staring into his brown eyes. "Remember, not everyone knows what they want to do when they leave High School."

"But _you_ know what you want to do." Finn countered.

"Yes, because I've been dreaming about Broadway ever since I was a little girl." Rachel smiled. "Sometimes it takes longer to figure out what you want to do. You know…school doesn't start for another two weeks. If you want, I can help you find something for you to do. Anywhere in the world, just name it." Finn thought about Rachel's offer, then a smile crept on his face.

"All right, how about New York City?" Finn suggested.

"New York? You want to be in the most magical city in the world?" Rachel raised an eyebrow, chuckling at him.

"You always said New York was magical. What if I want to be here, with a New York state of mind? I'm sure I'll find something. I mean, I'm sure I'm destined for great things and not just running a hot dog cart in front of Madison Square Garden." Finn reasoned.

"And I think you are." Rachel agreed. "Well, we'll find something for you. I know we will. We have time." Rachel patted Finn's shoulder as Finn gave her a half smile, causing Rachel to stare at Finn. She was fighting every urge she had to kiss him, so she turned her head to his tea and nudged towards it. "Drink your tea. I'm going to do the same to warm up my vocal cords."

"Ah, your vocal cords." Finn nodded his head. "Well, you do have a nice set of pipes. It's what helped us win Nationals." Rachel bit her lip, then motioned for Finn to drink his tea as he chuckled under his breath. He knew that he still had her under his spell and Rachel knew it as well. "All right, all right. I'm drinking my tea. So where are we going to look first?"

* * *

Santana Lopez currently sat on her bed, staring at the folder from the University of Louisville. It was where she was supposed to go in the fall. After all, it was Brittany Pierce's idea for her to go college instead of starring in a sex tape—one that would haunt Santana for the rest of her life. The problem was, she wasn't sure she wanted to go to college. She wanted to go and explore the world, she wanted to see everything that the world had to offer her—she wanted to go to New York City. The problem was, she wasn't sure what she'd do there. She wasn't sure what kind of person she'd make herself in the big city. She didn't want to be on Broadway like Rachel and Kurt. She didn't want to feel lost like Finn was. She wanted to make something of herself.

"I don't know, Brittany." Santana said to Brittany as they both sat on Santana's bed, having their arms wrapped around one another. "There are so many courses. I'm not quite sure which one I'm thinking of taking."

"Do any of them interest you?" Brittany asked, shrugging her shoulders, not sure what she should say to Santana. Brittany knew deep down what Santana wanted.

"None of them whatsoever. I mean, why every place wants to teach English? Did they thing we'd forget the entire language in a summer?" Santana scrunched her face up in disgust.

"I forgot English in an entire summer once." Brittany innocently said. "I learned Pig Latin all summer and it was the only language I could speak. They had to wean me back to English. I'm still fluent in it."

"Oh really?" Santana pondered, raising an eyebrow. "So can you tell me something in Pig Latin? Just because I'm curious and I'm interested?"

"All right, I'll say a sentence and then you have to decode it. Ready?" Brittany asked. Santana nodded her head as Brittany's face turned soft yet serious. "O-Gay o-Tay Ew-Nay ork-Yay, Antana-Say."

"What?" Santana asked as Brittany laughed slightly.

"Go to New York, Santana." Brittany's face then turned serious, looking at the pamphlets on Santana's bed. "I can tell that college isn't something you really want to do. You want to go and explore the world, go around the world in 80 days, you want to find Bigfoot and you possibly want to find the largest yarn ball and bring it back for Lord Tubbington." Santana continued to eye Brittany, considering Brittany's words.

"So you think I'm not interested in college?" Santana asked.

"I know you're not interested." Brittany answered. "If you were interested, you would have at least filled out the schedule weeks ago. You were putting it off, because you don't know what you want to do. It's clear that you were procrastinating."

"Yeah, you're right. I was." Santana admitted. "But Brittany, what if I do go to New York. What about you? What about my mom? What about everyone here?"

"There's Skype and Twitter…and my show _Fondue for Two_. I'm sure you can Skype and be on _Fondue for Two_ at the same time." Brittany grinned from ear to ear. Santana nodded her head, amazed at Brittany. "Just one thing…we can't scissor on Skype." Santana giggled at Brittany, hugging her tightly.

"Where would I be without you Brittany?" Santana asked.

"I don't know. Where would you be without me?" Brittany seemed clueless, as if it was a question she had to answer.

"I'd still be lost without you." Santana earnestly said, grabbing Brittany's hand in hers. "Thank you so much Brittany."

"You're welcome." Brittany grinned. She then looked at her watch, getting up from the bed. "Oh, I have to get home. _Fondue for Two_ is filming in an hour and Lord Tubbington is going to be a pet psychic in this episode. Did you decide what you were going to do?" Santana looked down at the pamphlets on the bed, then back towards Brittany.

"Yeah, I think I did." Santana nodded her head. Brittany walked over to Santana as she pressed a soft kiss on Santana's lips. Santana parted, giving Brittany a smile.

"Hey Santana…" Brittany said as she started to make her way towards the door. "I ove-Lay ou-Yay." Santana didn't need to have extensive knowledge in Pig Latin to know what Brittany just said.

"I ove-Lay ou-Yay oo-Tay, Rittany-Bay." Santana said as Brittany nodded her head and left the room. Santana's face then turned serious, looking at the pamphlets. It may have taken some words from Brittany, but Santana finally knew what she was going to do with her life—she had a world of chances, but this may have been her only one.

_{Santana sits on her bed, looking through the pamphlets, trying to figure out what to do with her life}_

_[Santana]  
You got a face for a smile you know  
A shame you waste it when you're breaking me slowly  
But I've got a world of chances for you  
I've got a world of chances for you  
I got a world of chances, chances you were burning through_

_{Scene changes to Rachel's loft as she and Finn look through the newspaper and Rachel continues to stare at Finn with longing}_

_[Rachel]  
I've got a paper and pen  
I go to write a goodbye and that's when  
I know I've got a world of chances for you  
I've got a world of chances for you  
I've got a world of chances, chances that you're burning through_

_{Santana goes on her computer and searches for tickets to New York City and looks at the money in her drawer while Rachel stares at Finn as he opens his wallet and sees a picture of his dad}_

_[Santana and Rachel]  
Ooooh  
I'm going my own way  
My faith has lost it's strength again  
And oooh, it's been too hard to say  
We're falling off the edge again  
We're at the end  
We're at the end_

_{Santana packs up her stuff as she stares over at her bed with a confident grin}_

_[Santana]  
Maybe you'll call me someday  
Hear the operator say the number's no good  
And that she had a world of chances for you  
She had a world of chances for you  
She had a world of chances, chances you were burning through  
Chances you were burning through  
Chances you were burning through, Oooh_

_You got a face for a smile you know_

_{Santana closes the door to her room with a smile}_

* * *

Kurt exited the Lima Bean looking exhausted after his double shift of serving customers, hearing customers belittle him and spilling freshly made coffee in front of his boss, causing his boss to become frustrated with him. The best part of Kurt's day was that he was going to see Blaine later today. He was actually excited to see Blaine and talk about his day—although he did that every day. It was beginning to become repetitive, and that somewhat left Kurt with a little bit of longing. Kurt walked to the front door of his house, taking his key and unlocking the door. When Kurt opened the door, he spotted Blaine in the kitchen, sitting at the table. Kurt was a little confused. He was sure he was going to meet Blaine at his house. Why was Blaine here?

"Blaine, what are you doing here? Not that I'm not glad that you're here?" Kurt walked a little more into the kitchen, realizing that there were bags packed in the corner. Kurt realized that the suitcases—were his. What was going on here? Kurt turned his head to Blaine, pointing to the bags in confusion. "Um, what are these?"

"These are your bags, all packed." Blaine said. "You're not going to the Lima Bean tomorrow."

"What…what are you talking about? That's where I work?" Kurt became confused.

"Not anymore." Blaine shook his head. "I called them after you left. I told them you quit, especially after they…um…fired you for the coffee incident. So we're clear, you quit."

"Wait, they fired me?!" Kurt's eyes widened. "So how the hell am I supposed to make money?"

"You have enough money to get by for now." Blaine answered. "Besides…you're going to New York."

"No, no I'm not." Kurt shook his head.

"Yes you are." Blaine answered, nodding his head.

"I am not going to New York." Kurt scoffed.

"Yes you are." Blaine repeated. "I'm going to make sure you get on a plane there."

"Blaine, why are you pushing me to leave? Do you not want me?" Kurt felt a pit in his stomach as Blaine shook his head, getting up from the kitchen table and walking over to Kurt.

"Of course I want you here, Kurt. I want you here more than anything." Blaine answered, letting out a shaky sigh. "It's just that you're not happy here. High School is over…it's time for you to move on and make something of yourself. And unfortunately, that's not here in Lima, Kurt."

"So where is that?" Kurt questioned. "Where am I supposed to make a name for myself?"

"New York." Blaine said. "Look, Rachel is there probably having the time of her life. She's probably making a lot of new friends and making some new opportunities for herself. You need to do the same thing. You are just as talented and I'm not going to take no for an answer. I know you're scared to go, and I'm scared to let you go…but this is something you have to do. I don't want to go all Finn and Rachel on you but…if we're meant to be with each other, then in the end we'll be with one another. And we will be with one another. I can feel it in my bones. Every fiber of my body is telling me we're going to be together and that we're not going to lose one another. It's not gonna happen. I promise you." Kurt simply looked at Blaine, feeling the tears form in his eyes.

"I love you, Blaine." Kurt softly said as Blaine nodded his head.

"And I love you too, Kurt." Blaine answered back. "But you and I both know that Lima isn't the place for you. You're way too talented for here." Kurt nodded his head then engulfed Blaine into a hug. After what seemed like an eternity, Blaine and Kurt separated from their hug as Kurt started making his way upstairs. "Where are you going?"

"I am going upstairs…" Kurt sighed. "I'm going to take a shower, look for a flight to New York and then go."

"I don't think you have to look for a flight." Blaine walked over to the table and grabbed the folder that was in his hands. "Here." Kurt took the folder from Blaine, opening it up with a smile.

"First class tickets…" Kurt looked up to Blaine then back to the tickets.

"Nothing is too good for you, Kurt. Nothing." Blaine solemnly answered. "You deserve the best. And you are going to get a lot of first class tickets when you make it in New York."

"If I make it in New York." Kurt said.

"_When_ you make it, Kurt." Blaine shook his head, walking to Kurt and taking his hand. "You're going to make it, and you're going to show the whole world why you belong there. All the bullies that told you that you were wrong for dreaming are going to be the ones that were wrong." Kurt hugged Blaine once more, giving the tickets a look. He was finally going to leave Lima and go into the big city. He was going to make a name for himself.

"You're gonna Skype me every day, right?" Kurt asked.

"Everyday…I promise." Blaine answered, grinning from ear to ear.

* * *

"I'm never going to find my place here." Finn dejectedly said as he and Rachel walked down 42nd Street, trying to find something, anything for Finn.

"We're going to find something, don't worry about it." Rachel assured him, patting his shoulder. "I mean for now while you find something you can work at retail or something. You always wanted to go to Build a Bear Workshop, right?"

"Yes, I wanted to _visit _there. I never wanted to _work_ there." Finn clarified. "Besides, I always thought I was going to make you a stuffed bear when we visited." Rachel felt her cheeks turn red at Finn's words as she turned away.

"We're going to find something for you, don't worry." Rachel said. Finn placed his hands in his pockets, shaking his head.

"Well, if we are, I doubt that we're going to find it today. Do you think that we can stop and get something to eat?" Finn wondered. Rachel nodded her head with a grin, leading Finn to a fast food restaurant. On their trek there, Finn looked up at the Empire State Building, marveling at how big it was. He couldn't believe that he was in the city with Rachel. The most beautiful city in the world. He felt like the weight of the world was off his shoulders now that he was out of the army. He didn't have to worry about getting shot or dying. Instead, he could focus on what he wanted to do with his future. And right now, his future seemed bright, being here with Rachel. They technically weren't together since Finn did break up with her at the train station when he forced her to New York—but there was some hope for them. He was sure that he could get Rachel back—and that it wouldn't take a lot of thinking.

* * *

After Rachel and Finn finished eating, they went back to Rachel's loft in order to soak in their first day in New York together. Rachel initially was worried about having Finn in New York since they technically weren't together, but seeing that Finn was willing to be just friends for the moment had Rachel confident that Finn wouldn't pull anything insane. As they sat down on the couch, Finn looked out the window of Rachel's Brownstone, realizing that he could see the Manhattan skyline. Finn couldn't help but get up and look out the window, feeling amazed by the surroundings around him. Rachel chuckled, getting up from the sofa and walking next to him.

"New York is beautiful, isn't it?" Rachel softly pondered as Finn nodded his head.

"It is…" Finn muttered, looking around. He turned his attention to Rachel, seeing that she was staring up at him. Finn couldn't help but stare back at her, looking into her brown eyes. After a moment, Rachel cleared her throat, backing away slowly and heading to the radio to take out a cassette player.

"Um, I have to practice for the NYADA Freshman Reaping." Rachel said as she stared down at the lyrics on the piece of paper she had.

"What's the 'Freshman Reaping?' Is it some kind of showcase?" Finn asked.

"It's kind of like them seeing if you're worthy to be in NYADA. I want to knock their socks off." Rachel answered, avoiding Finn's eyes by keeping her eyes on the paper. "If I don't pass then I'm kicked out of NYADA for the second semester."

"Oh, then do you mind me helping you?" Finn wondered. Rachel stared at Finn, trying to make out if he really just wanted to help. "I mean, I want to make sure that you're a shoe-in. Come on, let me help. Please?" Finn half grinned which caused Rachel to laugh slightly. She then nodded her head slowly, handing Finn the paper.

"Oh, I think I'm gonna like this song." Finn chuckled. Rachel let out a deep breath, pressing the button on the recorder while Finn gazed into her eyes, the piano and horns blaring throughout the loft.

_{Rachel looks down at the paper as she starts singing, then finds herself looking into Finn's eyes as he starts singing along with her, both of them keeping eye contact on one another}_

_[Rachel]  
Some folks like to get away  
For a holiday, from the neighborhood  
Hop a flight to Miami Beach or to Hollywood_

_[Finn]  
Well I'm taking a greyhound  
On the Hudson River line…_

_[Rachel and Finn]  
I'm in a New York State Of Mind_

_{Santana walks out of the L Train station with her suitcase as she looks around at the buildings}_

_[Santana]  
It was so easy living day by day  
Out of touch with the rhythm and the blues_

_{Kurt walks along the Brooklyn Streets, taking in the sights until he spots Santana with a grin. Santana and Kurt walk to each other smiling}_

_[Kurt]  
But now I need, is a little give and take_

_{Goes back to Rachel and Finn's apartment as Finn and Rachel continue to stare at each other, not realizing they're getting closer to one another}_

_[Rachel]  
The New York Times_

_[Finn]  
The Daily News_

_[Rachel and Finn]  
Oh, woah!_

_{Rachel]  
It comes down to reality, and it's fine with me cause I'll let it slide_

_{Kurt and Santana walk to the address of Rachel's loft as they give each other a smile}_

_[Kurt]  
Don't care if it's Chinatown or on Riverside_

_[Santana]  
I don't have many reasons_

_[Kurt]  
I left them all behind_

_[Santana and Kurt]  
I'm in a New York…_

_{Scene splits between Santana, Kurt, Rachel, and Finn}_

_[Rachel, Finn, Santana and Kurt]  
State of Mind!_

_{Rachel and Finn walk close enough as their foreheads almost touch while they gaze at each other while singing}_

_[Rachel]  
I'm just taking a greyhound_

_[Finn]  
On the Hudson River_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
Line_

_{Santana and Kurt walk up the stairs and reach the door of Rachel's loft}_

_[Kurt]  
Cause I'm in_

_[Santana]  
I'm in a New York_

_{Scene goes to Finn and Rachel staring into each other's eyes}_

_[Rachel]  
State_

_[Finn]  
Of_

_{Scene cuts to show Santana and Kurt in front of Rachel's door and Finn and Rachel touching foreheads as they sing}_

_[Rachel, Finn, Santana and Kurt]  
Mind!  
Oh! New York State Of Mind!_

Rachel and Finn looked into each other's eyes, realizing that their lips were only inches away from one another. Rachel cleared her throat and started to back away slowly, giving Finn an embarrassed smile. Finn rubbed the back of his neck with his hands, feeling his cheeks turning red. He wasn't expecting to get _that_ close, especially on the first day here. Rachel heard a knock at the door, somewhat glad for the distraction. Rachel walked towards the door, opening it with a grin as she saw Kurt and Santana at the door.

"Kurt! Santana! Oh my god!" Rachel pulled them in for a hug as Kurt's eyes opened; noticing Finn was standing in the corner of the room. Finn nodded his head slowly towards Kurt and Santana, not sure if he should say anything.

"Finn…what are you doing here, and why aren't you in the army?" Kurt asked. Finn let out a sigh, wondering if he should tell Kurt and Santana the truth as to what happened. It was uncomfortable enough explaining to Rachel what happened. Did he have to repeat the story again? Finn then decided to do what all great political figures do—lie their ass off.

" Um, I decided the army wasn't for me." Finn shrugged his shoulders as if nothing. "It wasn't a challenge for me." Rachel wasn't sure what was going on here. Didn't Finn say that he was shot in the leg, which caused him to be discharged? Rachel studied Finn for a minute, realizing that he was ashamed to explain the real reason to everyone. It kind of made Rachel feel a little good that Finn was only willing to tell Rachel what was going on—but she still didn't condone lying.

"Oh, so what are you doing here?" Santana turned to Rachel then back to Finn. "Playing house with Berry?"

"Um, no…I…" Finn stammered.

"He was helping me with my Freshman Reaping song for NYADA…to make sure I don't get kicked out." Rachel said, minus the part about where they almost kissed. "So what are you two doing here?"

"We are here because we needed to find ourselves in New York City…" Kurt smiled. "We were going to get a hotel or something so…"

"NO." Rachel said almost in haste. "I…I mean why don't you stay with Finn and I? Finn's staying here and it can get lonesome for a girl without her two great friends." Santana and Kurt looked at one another, then back towards Rachel.

"Are you sure? We don't want to be a burden to you…" Kurt said.

"Not at all! Come in, come in…" Rachel motioned for Kurt and Santana to bring in their bags as Finn gave them a small smile. "Look, before any of you…that includes you Finn…came to New York, I had to admit that I was lonely…and now with my three best friends in New York, we're going to be in for a year of fun, aren't we?"

"We're in a New York State of Mind, aren't we?" Kurt said, causing Rachel to let out a giggle.

"Yes…we are." Rachel motioned for Finn to come over and as quickly as she said so, he did. Rachel hugged her friends tightly, then went to close the door. Her practicing for NYADA could wait until later. For the first time since she came to New York on her own—she wasn't as lonely. She actually figured out what was missing—having her friends here.

* * *

_**GUEST STARRING**_

_**Kurtwood Smith as Sergeant Nettles**_

_**Heather Morris as Brittany S. Pierce**_

_**Darren Criss as Blaine Anderson**_

_**SONG(S):**_

_**Radioactive (Originally by Imagine Dragons): Performed by Finn Hudson**_

_**World Of Chances (Originally by Demi Lovato): Performed by Santana Lopez and Rachel Berry**_

_**New York State Of Mind (Originally by Billy Joel): Performed by Rachel Berry, Finn Hudson, Santana Lopez and Kurt Hummel)**_


	2. 1x02: Counting Stars

**_Episode Synopsis:_**_Rachel has her first week at NYADA and meets Brody (**Dean Geyer**) who takes a sudden interest to her, much to the chagrin of Finn. Not wanting to see Rachel end up with anyone else, Finn takes drastic measures to keep Brody away from her; While looking for a job in New York, Santana meets an artist named Dani (**Demi Lovato**) and becomes interested in her, although she's dating Brittany back home._

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I do not own Glee but I wish I did. Enjoy the newest episode of "Glee: The New York Story"_

* * *

It had been two weeks since Finn, Santana and Kurt moved into the loft with Rachel and it had been rather—interesting; especially for Rachel. Rachel was used to hanging around with Kurt, Santana and Finn but this was an entirely new concept. They were living with each other! It wasn't like in High School that they would go to their separate homes after a long day. They now were bound to roommate-hood. Rachel found that out awkwardly when she had to go get ready for her first day of school at NYADA. Rachel had her towel in her hands with her clothes for the day, on the way to the shower—when she heard someone singing in the shower. She walked over to the bathroom, holding her clothes closer to her, realizing that the person that was singing in the shower—was Finn. Rachel listened intently, hearing Finn belt out REO Speedwagon's "Can't Fight This Feeling." Rachel didn't realize it, but she found herself placing her head on the bathroom door, listening to Finn sing. That voice was the reason Rachel fell in love with Finn, other than Finn being so sweet and kind to her. Rachel felt her eyes close and a smile plaster on her face, nodding her head to the acapella goodness that was coming from the bathroom. The next thing Rachel knew, the door to the bathroom opened and she fell forward onto the floor, not sure about what happened. Rachel looked up and saw Finn staring down at her, a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair wet from his shower. Rachel's cheeks flushed as she got up from the floor, noticing Finn cracking a smile at her.

"Good morning. Did you enjoy the concert?" Finn jested. Rachel put a stand of hair behind her ear, avoiding Finn's gaze. After a moment, Rachel looked up at him, coating a smile on her face.

"Um, you sounded very…good." Rachel honestly told him. "I'm sure that if you were performing at a concert, girls would be throwing their underwear and bras at you."

"Would you be jealous?" Finn raised an eyebrow, the half grin still on his face. Rachel gave a soft chuckle, patting his bare shoulder.

"I have to get in the shower. I have school." Rachel gazed at Finn's abs then smiled to herself as she closed the door to the shower. Finn turned around to face the door as he heard Rachel start her scales. Finn bowed his head, finally making his way to his bedroom to get dressed.

"It's not like she hasn't seen me naked before…" Finn said to himself, still grinning from ear to ear.

* * *

Rachel entered the halls of NYADA for the first time that morning, looking around at the students who were dressed in theatre clothes, wore hats that looked as if they were made there, fencers in their uniforms heading to practice and ballerinas going to the dance studio. Rachel didn't realize that everyone took everything at the school so personally. Rachel looked down at her schedule, trying to see what class she had first—and she didn't want to admit it, but Rachel was _lost_. Rachel looked up from her schedule, not aware that she was about to bump into someone. Rachel knocked into the person as they both fell to the floor. Rachel looked at her person with a mortifying glance, unsure why she did what she just did.

"Oh my gosh! I am so sorry!" Rachel quickly got up from the floor, helping the young adult up. After Rachel looked into his eyes, she couldn't help but notice that he was amused at her—and he was really cute. Rachel was sure that he was gay, but she wasn't going to question. She did knock into him after all.

"It's all right. Actually, I like knocking into cute girls like you." He flashed a smile towards Rachel, holding out his hand. "I'm Brody Weston. Guessing by the way you're walking around the hallways, I'm going to assume that it's your first day and you have _no_ idea where you're going."

"And if you assumed, then you assumed correctly." Rachel handed her schedule for Brody to look at. Brody scanned the schedule, motioning for Rachel to follow him. Rachel quickly started following Brody, the both of them making their way to Rachel's first class. "So are you a senior or something? Everyone seems to know who you are." Rachel said as Brody beamed towards her.

"I'm a junior." Brody answered. "It also helps that I've been in a lot of productions during my time at NYADA so, everyone knows who I am. It gets tiring for the girls to just stare at you and think you're a chick magnet."

"You're gay, aren't you?" Rachel blurted out before mentally cursing herself. "Oh God, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I mean, my best friend is gay. I…I should stop talking."

"Rachel…" Brody chuckled, assuring her that it was fine. "I'm not gay. Now that we cleared that up…" Brody pointed to Rachel's first class of the day, causing Rachel to release a grin.

"Thanks Brody." Rachel said, walking towards the door. She then turned her attention to Brody, giving him a Rachel Berry smile. "How did you know my name?"

"It was on your schedule." Brody answered nodding his head. "Or maybe I'm psychic. No, but seriously it was on your schedule." Brody and Rachel shared a laugh, then it turning quiet. "Hey, if you ever need someone to show you around, I'm your guy. All right?" Rachel nodded her head, feeling her heart flutter as Brody walked down the hallway to greet some kids. Rachel had a feeling that things were going to go her way. And things started to feel right with the handsome yet mysterious Brody Weston.

* * *

Finn sat in the loft that afternoon on his laptop, scanning for jobs in New York City. He needed to find something to do. He couldn't just sit here all day while Rachel, Kurt and Santana doing something with their lives. He remembered Santana and Kurt both said they were going to Starbucks to get coffee, which gave Finn some time to himself. He continued to look at the laptop, trying to find something, anything for him to do. He considered working as a concierge but then remembered he'd have to deal with the snooty rich people who would look down on him because he was a poor boy. He then considered working as a greeter at Walmart—until he realized that the nearest Walmart was in New Jersey and that would have meant Finn would have had to move out of the loft. He then considered working as a bus driver but found out that after the test it would take years for them to contact him. He needed something to do now. Finn continued to stare at the computer, still pondering his future. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do. Finn heard the door open to reveal Rachel, seeing that she had a smile plastered on her face. Finn closed his laptop and folded his hands, giving her his undivided attention.

"Rachel, you look all…smiley." Finn tried to play it off with a smirk. "I'm guessing that school went great."

"School went really good." Rachel nodded her head. "I had half of my classes today and they were all amazing! I had theatre class, playwriting, vocalization…oh and I met a lot of awesome people there."

"Really? How awesome?" Finn questioned. "More awesome than me? Because the last time I checked, there is no one more awesome than me."

"Well, I did meet some people who were in productions at school." Rachel walked over to the kitchen, getting some pans out of the cabinet as Finn got up from the couch to follow her.

"Are any of the guys there…I don't know…cute?" Finn stuffed his hands in his pockets as he leaned against the wall. "I mean being in a school like NYADA usually means that there are cute guys there."

"Finn, you're not the type of person that I would talk to about that." Rachel turned her head, looking amused.

"Why not? I'm hip." Finn shrugged his shoulders, not seeing what the big deal was.

"You're also a guy, Finn." Rachel answered back. "Guys like you aren't supposed to _think_ about asking girls questions about guys. I'll wait for Kurt and Santana to get home. By the way, where are Kurt and Santana?"

"I think they went to go job hunting while walking throughout the streets." Finn said.

"And you didn't go with them?" Rachel arched her eyebrow, filling the pot with water.

"I figured it would have been better to go on Craigslist. I mean isn't that how most people find jobs?" Finn inquired.

"Well now, but back then you had to go where there was a help wanted sign." Rachel reasoned. "Finn, it's been two weeks and you still have no idea what you want to do?"

"It's going to take a little time for me to find what I want to do." Finn argued slightly. He then released a tired sigh, seeing Rachel was putting spaghetti into the boiling pot. "Why are you making dinner when you just got home? I was thinking that maybe we could have gone to grab something to eat with Kurt and Santana when they got back."

"Because I invited a friend over for dinner." Rachel explained.

"But you only went to school for a day." Finn didn't quite understand. "You're already inviting people to the loft?"

"He's a junior and he's the only one that basically talked to me today." Rachel explained, watching the pot of water boil. "His name is Brody Weston and he was in every production at NYADA. Apparently he's a great actor."

"A great actor." Finn muttered under his breath. "Sounds like you're already moving on."

"Moving on from what, Finn?" Rachel didn't understand what had Finn uneasy about having a new friend over for dinner. "What am I moving on from?"

"Gee, I don't know Rachel." Finn sardonically said, walking closer to her. "How about us?"

"What about us, Finn?" Rachel was beginning to lose patience with Finn.

"We were together for a while, Rachel." Finn noticed that he was staring deep into Rachel's eyes. "Why does it feel like to me that you're moving on from me?"

"I'm not moving on from you, Finn." Rachel let out a sigh, putting a hand on Finn's chest. "I'm not. I just met Brody. Nothing's going to happen tonight. If you want you can sit in during dinner. That way it's not a date and it's me and my ex-boyfriend having dinner with a friend of mine." Rachel paused, thinking about what she had just said. "All right, I shouldn't have put it like that. Look, you're my friend. Okay? And I just want to have you as a friend support me. Okay?" Finn thought about Rachel's words, nodding his head slowly.

"You're right. I mean you're going to a new school and you just want to make some friends." Finn agreed, taking the pot from Rachel with a grin. He then walked over to the stove and started stirring the spaghetti as Rachel turned to him.

"What are you doing?" Rachel wondered.

"I'm helping you make dinner." Finn grinned. "We have a friend coming over."

* * *

"All right, there is no way that we are going to find our calling today!" Santana groaned as she and Kurt walked along New York City. "Can we please take a break and just relax? I mean I am so tired of just running around."

"Santana, nothing good happens to people who sit at home on their butt." Kurt countered. "Besides Rachel texted, saying that she was having a friend over."

"Oh really?" Santana raised an eyebrow. "What kind of friend?"

"She said his name was Brody." Kurt answered, shrugging his shoulders. "He's a junior and she invited him for dinner. I thought it was a nice gesture by Rachel to thank him for making her first day bearable."

"Wait, but isn't Finn home tonight?" Santana asked.

"Yeah, he is." Kurt didn't see the dilemma here. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"Somewhat, yeah." Santana said. "There's the fact that Finn and Rachel dated and now this Brody guy can be her new boy toy."

"Santana…you don't marry someone in a day." Kurt reasoned with her. "Besides, I don't think that Rachel would openly make Finn feel uncomfortable."

"Sure she wouldn't." Santana smirked. "Yet she made him feel uncomfortable a lot in High School. Let's not forget her moon-eyed stare towards Finn during every Glee practice, oh and to top it off, let's not forget the exclusive and Rachel's most uncomfortable performance to date '_Run Joey Run_'. Kurt, if I know Rachel which after three years of being stuck in a choir room with her has done to me, then I know that Rachel will make Finn uncomfortable."

"All right Santana…" Kurt put his hand up, noticing that they were in front of an art gallery. "Hey, let's try here."

"An art gallery? Are you trying to drive me to my grave early?" Santana grumbled as she and Kurt entered the art gallery.

"Come on Santana." Kurt pulled Santana into the gallery room, leading her to the front desk. Santana looked around the gallery, seeing the paintings that were on the wall. Santana stopped fighting with Kurt, walking towards one of the paintings that had her on her mind. Santana observed the painting, noticing the slashes of paint, the colored circles, and the blurred lines. Santana crossed her arms, nodding her head slowly. Santana curved her head to a girl that was staring at her from afar. Santana furrowed her eyebrows, beginning to feel a bit annoyed.

"Um…can I help you with something?" Santana didn't mean to sound a bit bad-mannered but heck, she was Santana. That was how it would normally come out. The girl walked over to Santana, staring at the painting along with her.

"When you stare at this painting, what do you see?" The girl asked, turning her head towards Santana. Santana stared back at the picture, thinking about her answer before turning back to the girl with confidence.

"What I see is that all those circles are all the same, they're trying to stick together like they're in a clique. The blurred lines are the outcasts. They're out there but they're not afraid of being themselves. They're running away from the circles, the circles signaling oppression. The blurred lines are signaling freedom and rebellion. Out of all of the crap shack paintings here, this one's my favorite. This one is art." The girl nodded her head towards Santana, a smile creeping on her face.

"That was what I was hoping for someone to say." The girl noticed Santana's eyes widening as she pointed to the picture.

"Wait, you painted this?" Santana was in awe.

"Yeah, I painted it. This was just one of the few pictures that I have here." The girl smiled. "I have a couple more in the gallery here somewhere if you want to see it." Santana didn't have to think about the answer.

"I would love to see them." Santana nodded. The girl led Santana to another one of the paintings, causing Santana to marvel at it. Before Santana could say anything else, she turned her head with a grin towards the girl. "So what's your name?"

"My name is Dani." Dani held out her hand for Santana to shake. Santana shook Dani's hand, releasing a smile before the two of them looked at the painting. Santana found herself in the art gallery for the next two hours, looking at every picture that was in there with Dani. For the first time in a while, Santana wasn't feeling completely lost in New York. She finally made a friend—and Santana may have not known it at the time but every second she spent with Dani, she found herself slowly falling under Dani's spell. Santana couldn't risk it though. She didn't want Dani to know that she was gay, afraid that it would jeopardize her budding friendship with her. That and there was another problem; Santana was still with Brittany.

* * *

At the loft that night, Rachel, Brody and Finn sat in the dining room table, having what started as a normal dinner. Rachel and Finn were trying to find out more about Brody while Brody seemed only intent on trying to get to know Rachel—something that wasn't going well with Finn. Finn played with his spaghetti while staring over at Rachel, seeing that she was pouring sparkling cider for herself, Brody and him. Finn couldn't help but realize how beautiful Rachel was. Rachel looked so empowering, so invigorating. She was everything he could ever dream about. Rachel was the one for Finn—he knew it. And he was willing to give Rachel all the time she need to realize that she was to be with him as well. Rachel noticed the silence at the table so she cleared her throat, folding her hands, staring at both Finn and Brody.

"So, what do you two boys think of the pasta?" Rachel asked.

"The pasta is delicious, Rachel." Brody smiled politely, holding his glass. "Actually this whole dinner is delicious." Brody stared over at Finn who was simply nodded his head towards Rachel. Brody cleared his throat, staring at Finn. "So, Finn. What's your story? How do you know Rachel?" Finn cleared his throat, staring at Rachel who gave him a nod.

"Um, well. Rachel and I were in Glee Club when we were in High School." Finn answered, feeling slightly on edge. "We actually dated."

"Oh really?" Brody took a sip of his sparkling cider.

"Yeah, we did." Finn said, shrugging his shoulders. "Rachel's a very good friend of mine."

"Well, this is a rarity that I've never seen before." Brody leaned back in his chair, chuckling.

"What do you mean?" Finn became confused.

"Oh, how you're both exes yet you're still friends." Brody clarified. "I've never seen anything like it. I just think that it's kind of…_cute_."

"Cute?" Finn's eyes widened as Rachel cleared her throat.

"So Brody, um you said you were in productions in NYADA before I came along?" Rachel flashed a smile towards Brody, which Finn read as Rachel's 'flirty' smile. "What kind of productions did you do that made all the girls out there fall for you?"

"Well, I did _Les Miserables, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory_ and this year I'm doing _Rent_." Brody counted it off. "I was the lead in _Les Mis_ and _Willy Wonka_. I was cast as the lead in _Rent_."

"Really? Wow! That's impressive!" Rachel sounded more into it than Finn did. Finn sipped on his sparkling cider, staring at Brody with jealousy. "You know, this is going to sound embarrassing but I was the lead role in my High School's version of _West Side Story_. I was Maria. But the play I want to do the most is _Evita_. I mean, I was born for the lead role."

"Yes you were, Rachel." Finn interjected, plastering a smile on his face. "Rachel is very talented, Brody." Brody raised an eyebrow towards Finn then Rachel put her napkin on the table with a smile on her face still.

"So, how about I go and get the dessert while you two catch up?" Rachel got up from the table, shooting Finn a look that said that she knew what he was doing. Finn shrugged his shoulders, playing innocent as Rachel headed into the kitchen. Finn and Brody looked at one another, still keeping up the awkward silence After a moment, Brody motioned towards Rachel in the kitchen while staring at Finn.

"So why did you dump her?" Brody questioned. Finn furrowed his eyebrows, not sure if he should answer the question. He then shook his head, deciding to put up with Brody for Rachel's sake.

"I didn't _dump_ her." Finn corrected. "I let her go."

"Sure, so who lets go of a hottie like that?" Brody turned towards the kitchen, seeing that Rachel was still oblivious to their conversation. "I mean come on; there could be someone that would snag her up in a second."

"What are you trying to say, Brody?" Finn folded his hands, still eyeing Brody with interest. "That you think you can snag Rachel up?"

"Yep, I mean I've dated a lot of girls during my time at NYADA." Brody waved his hand as if it was no big deal. "Rachel seems like an easy catch. She invited me to dinner, didn't she?"

"So you're a man whore." Finn seethed, still staring at Brody. Brody noticed that Finn was no longer playing nice. He was serious. "Listen, Rachel made it clear that this wasn't a date."

"Oh and what makes you think it's not a date?" Brody leaned closer, his tone becoming serious.

"Because I'm sitting here, aren't I?" Finn applied logic to Brody's question. "Look, you can sing with her and dance with her all you want at NYADA—but at the end of the day you're not going to date her. Not in a million years."

"And you think you have a better chance?" Brody scoffed. "You're the one that let her go in the first place. As a matter of fact, why _did_ you let her go…and why are you in her life again?"

"I'm in her life again because she wants me, Brody." Finn's tone was firm yet eerily calm. "She just doesn't see it yet. So whatever you're doing, stop. Because you are _way_ out of your league dude."

"Oh, I'm way out of my league?" Brody gave a hollow chuckle. "I think the one that's out of their league—is you. Rachel _will_ be mine, Finn…even if I have to get lucky to do it." Before Finn could say anything else, Rachel entered the room with a pie in her hands.

"Hey, who wants some pie?" Rachel asked, looking to Brody and Finn. Finn and Brody both gave fake smiles towards Rachel, hiding their evident disdain for one another.

"That sounds great, Rachel." Brody gave Finn a smirk that caused Finn to become steely faced towards Brody. It suddenly turned into a war. A war that Finn was determined to win; to win Rachel's heart, no matter what.

_{Rachel sits down as Brody and Finn eye each other with Rachel oblivious to their hatred towards another}_

_[Brody]  
Like the legend of the phoenix  
All ends with beginnings  
What keeps the planets spinning  
The force from the beginning_

_Luck_

_[Brody with Finn]  
We've come too far  
To give up who we are  
So lets raise the bar  
And our cups to the stars_

_{Scene changes to school where Rachel walks down the hall and Brody looks at her with a smirk}_

_[Brody]  
She's up all night till the sun  
I'm up all night to get some  
She's up all night for good fun  
I'm up all night to get lucky  
We're up all night till the sun  
We're up all night to get some  
We're up all night for good fun  
We're up all night to get lucky  
We're up all night to get lucky  
We're up all night to get lucky_

_{Scene changes to Finn sitting on the couch using his laptop as Rachel walks around the loft doing errands}_

_[Finn]  
The present has no living  
Your gift keeps on giving  
What is this I'm feeling  
If you wanna leave I'm with it, ah_

_[Finn with Brody]  
We've come too far  
To give up who we are  
So lets raise the bar  
And our cups to the stars_

_{Scene changes to Finn walking the streets and seeing Rachel talking to Brody in front of NYADA}_

_[Finn]  
She's up all night till the sun  
I'm up all night to get some  
She's up all night for good fun  
I'm up all night to get lucky  
We're up all night till the sun  
We're up all night to get some  
We're up all night for good fun  
We're up all night to get lucky  
We're up all night to get lucky  
We're up all night to get lucky_

_{Scene goes to Finn and Brody in the NYADA dance studio as they stretch and dance with the female dancers}_

_[Robotic Voice}  
We're up all night to get lucky  
We're up all night to get lucky  
We're up all night to get lucky  
We're up all night to get lucky  
We're up all night to get lucky  
We're up all night to get lucky_

_[Brody and Finn]  
We've come too far  
To give up who we are  
So lets raise the bar  
And our cups to the stars_

_She's up all night till the sun  
I'm up all night to get some  
She's up all night for good fun  
I'm up all night to get lucky  
We're up all night till the sun  
We're up all night to get some  
We're up all night for good fun  
We're up all night to get lucky  
We're up all night to get lucky  
We're up all night to get lucky_

_{Scene ends with Finn and Brody staring at one another in anger}_

"Rachel's going to be mine, Finn…and there's nothing you can do about it." Brody turned away from Finn, walking towards the other end of the dance room. Brody's head whiplashed back to Finn, his eyebrows arching in confusion. "Wait, how did you get in here?" Finn thought about Brody's question for a minute, then his eyes widened.

"I have…no idea."

* * *

Santana sat on the couch in the loft, looking at the postcard pictures of Dani's paintings. Santana marveled at the fact that Dani was such an amazing painter, and the fact that Santana knew what Dani was trying to portray. Santana didn't hear Kurt come into the room as Kurt noticed Santana still staring at the postcards. Kurt let out a smirk, sitting down next to Santana.

"I didn't realize you were an artist buff…and this was coming from someone who disliked art when I dragged you into the art gallery." Kurt chuckled.

"Yeah, I thought I hated art, too." Santana said, still looking at the pictures. "It's just that Dani…the girl that painted this, paints things with feeling. It's hard for me to believe this but I actually like art."

"You like art?" Kurt raised an eyebrow towards Santana. "Or do you like _Dani's_ art?"

"Why are you placing an emphasis on Dani's name?" Santana questioned.

"Because, I got the feeling that you liked Dani when I went to find you to get that job at the art gallery and you were too busy speaking to Dani about her work." Kurt chuckled.

"Speaking of which, did we get the job?" Santana became excited.

"Um, you got the job. I didn't." Kurt sighed, causing Santana's excitement to diminish.

"Kurt, I'm sorry." Santana said.

"No, it's fine. It was because you were interested in Dani's art that got you the job. The boss saw you were into it." Kurt put a hand on Santana's shoulder. "But I do have to ask you, did you like the art or just Dani's art?"

"Well, Dani's art spoke to me. It was amazing…" Santana shook her head while placing a stand of her hair behind her ear. "But I can't fall for Dani. I just can't."

"Why not?" Kurt questioned.

"Because I'm still with Brittany." Santana answered, looking at him sadly. "I love Brittany so much and Brittany is so funny and she makes me happy."

"But…" Kurt egged Santana to go on.

"But Dani is artistic and she has just this magic that she can portray anything just by putting art on a canvas. Even if it's just a bunch of squiggles and lines." Santana released a heavy sigh. "I'm also sure that Dani is not a lesbian or even bi-curious. She seemed straight to me. So, that settles it. I'm staying with Brittany and that's it."

"There, you solved your own problem." Kurt patted Santana's leg then got up from the sofa. "Now, I suggest that you get ready for bed because you have a long day of work tomorrow." Santana nodded her head with a grin, getting up from the sofa and wandering to her room.

"Hey, Kurt…thanks."

"You're welcome, Santana." Kurt nodded his head to his friend, heading into the kitchen while Santana started making her way towards the bedroom. She noticed Finn laying on the bed, still puzzled about something. Santana entered Finn's room, sitting on the edge of his bed.

"What's going on Finnocence?" Santana saw Finn staring right at her, looking lost.

"I have a problem here." Finn sat up from the bed, looking at Santana. "Brody who is Rachel's classmate, is really interested in her, and I'm not sure that I can have that."

"So this Brody guy isn't just a friend like Rachel is insisting." Santana saw Finn's side as Finn nodded his head.

"I mean, I want to believe that he's not going to hurt her, I really want to believe that." Finn eyed Santana. "But he was so sure that he was going to get her. He also dated many girls before and I'm afraid that he's going to take Rachel and break her heart. I don't want that to happen to her."

"But what if Rachel really wants to be into this Brody guy? What are you going to do? You can't just get in her way." Santana tried to explain with reason.

"But I still love her, Santana." Finn's voice became firm. "I love her with every fiber of my being. I…I'm not ready to let her go." Santana observed Finn's face expression, realizing that he wasn't joking. He really loved Rachel and wanted to be with her, no matter how long it took to get her back. Santana couldn't help but emit a small smile towards him.

"You really love Rachel, don't you?" Santana softly rhetorically asked. She then schemed for a minute, motioning for Finn to hand her his laptop. Finn handed Santana the laptop and a moment later, she was on the NYADA website.

"What are you doing?" Finn looked over Santana's shoulder, seeing she had clicked on the enrollment menu.

"If you're going to get Rachel back, you're going to have to be on the same war turf as Brody." Santana's mind was still whirling on the ways that she could help Finn.

"But Santana, there's no way that I can get into NYADA." Finn argued. "For one thing, I'm not talented enough. For another thing, the semester just started."

"Yes those two things are probably true." Santana agreed, continuing her thought before Finn could interject. "But, it looks like they're looking for someone to join their school. There's still one slot open. If you can kill it during your audition, then you have a chance of fighting Brody for Rachel." Finn weighed the options, taking the laptop back from Santana.

"I'm not good enough, Santana." Finn muttered. "I'm just not good enough for NYADA, I'm not good enough for New York, heck, I'm not good enough for Rachel. What makes you think I can be good enough for this audition? NYADA would never want me! Not in a million years!"

"And you don't know that, but you're constantly kicking your own ass." Santana crossed her arms, still looking at Finn. "At least take the chance. Don't chicken out. If you want Brody to win then fine, but I don't want to be the one to say I told you so." Santana left the room with that, leaving Finn sitting there with a thought. Finn wasn't sure what he was going to do, so he continued staring at the computer. Finn heard Rachel walking past the room but noticed her hesitation as she walked into Finn's room.

"Hey." Rachel waved, taking a seat in Finn's room.

"Hey." Finn closed the laptop, placing it to the side.

"I just wanted to thank you, Finn." Rachel let out a genuine smile towards Finn. "I mean, I want to thank you for being there during the dinner with Brody. I hope it wasn't uncomfortable for you."

"Me? No, not at all." Finn lied, waving his hand dismissively. Rachel chuckled, folding her hands in her lap.

"Well, still I thank you." Rachel continued to stare at Finn, wondering if she should say something else to him. After realizing that she was just sitting there, she looked around the room she had given him, seeing he didn't do much with it. "Hmm…I gave you your own room and it still looks like the day I moved in here—minus the bed."

"Yeah, well I figured I wasn't going to be in here much so I decided not to add anything in here." Finn shrugged his shoulders, not sure if there was anything else to say.

"Finn, if there's something bothering you, you can tell me." Rachel muttered, sitting down on the bed next to him. "I mean, you've been acting a little odd lately."

"Rachel, there's nothing bothering me, I promise." Finn softly spoke, looking into her eyes. Rachel continued to stare at Finn, noticing that their eyes were locked. Finn moved a little closer, placing his forehead on hers. Finn couldn't help it. The next thing he knew he pressed his lips to Rachel's giving her a soft kiss. Finn noticed Rachel's hesitation as she broke the kiss, still staring him in his eyes. She looked nervous, turning her head away from him. The silence was awkward until Rachel decided she should be the one to speak.

"Um, I should go." Rachel took a deep breath.

"Um…yeah, you…you have to get ready for school tomorrow, right?" Finn told her.

"Right. Um. Goodnight, Finn." Rachel turned around, leaving the room and closing the door. Rachel stood there for a moment, taking a deep breath in and out. She knew she still had some sort of feelings for Finn, but she had to stand back a moment and question what she really wanted in her life. Finn was her first love, but she had to admit the last week she spent with Brody was fantastic and full of life and energy. She needed to make a decision. She just wasn't sure which was the right one.

Finn lay back on the bed, covering his face into his hands. _Why did I just kiss her? She didn't seem to like it, _Finn thought to himself. He looked over to the laptop, opening the screen again to see the NYADA homepage. Finn's mind was working on overdrive as a determined smile came upon his face. He looked through the list of audition songs, hoping to find just the one to enroll into NYADA. Finn pointed to the screen and opened another tab, typing in Youtube for the karaoke version of the song. If he was going to sing, he was going to have to practice. He might have been out of tune since Nationals. Finn found the karaoke he was looking for and after a moment of consideration, he pressed the play button, nodding his head in confidence.

_{Scene starts with Finn reading the lyrics off the video, trying to get the lyrics right, but becoming more and more confident as he sings the verse}_

_[Finn]  
Let it go  
Let it roll right off your shoulder  
Don't you know  
The hardest part is over  
Let it in  
Let your clarity define you in the end  
We will only just remember how it feels_

_{Scene switches to Finn singing on the NYADA stage with Carmen Tibideaux watching him}_

_[Finn]  
Our lives are made  
In these small hours  
These little wonders  
These twist and turn to fate  
Time falls away  
But these small hours  
These small hours still remain_

_Let it slide  
Let your troubles fall behind you  
Let it shine  
Till you feel it all around you  
And I don't mind  
If it's me you need to turn to  
We'll get by  
It's the heart that really matters in the end_

_Our lives are made  
In these small hours  
These little wonders  
These twist and turn to fate  
Time falls away  
But these small hours  
These small hours still remain_

_All of my regret  
They wash away somehow  
But I cannot forget  
The way I feel right now_

_In these small hours  
These little wonders  
These twist and turn to fate  
These twist and turn to fate_

_Time falls away  
But these small hours  
These small hours still remain_

_They still remain  
These little wonder  
Oh, these twist and turn to fate  
Time falls away  
But these small hours  
These small hours still remain_

_{Scene ends with Finn staring at Carmen Tibideaux as she writes something on a piece of paper}_

* * *

Finn exited the auditorium with a backpack, looking around at the girls who were staring at him. Finn didn't realize that auditioning for NYADA made you a rock star or something. Finn looked over to Rachel and Brody who were reading a playbook, deciding to walk over to them. Finn could hear their conversation, emitting a smirk, as he got closer.

"So who do you think is the final person that Madame Tibideaux is going to let into NYADA this fall?" Brody asked. Rachel looked up to Brody, shrugging her shoulders.

"I don't know." Rachel found herself getting lost into Brody's eyes until—

"Hey guys." Finn said in a chipper tone, noticing their heads whiplashing towards him. Finn grinned at them, holding the strap to his backpack closer to him.

"Finn? Hi." Brody pretended to be happy to see Finn, but Rachel was—confused.

"Finn, what are you doing here?" Rachel questioned. "Can't whatever you have to say wait until I get home from school?"

"Oh you didn't hear?" Finn chuckled, looking to Brody with a smirk. "I go here now. Yeah, the last person that Madame Tibideaux let in the school was—_me_."

"You?" Rachel pointed in disbelief as Finn nodded his head.

"Yep, so now I get to hang with you and Brody all the time!" Finn's chipper tone disappeared as he turned to Brody, faking a grin. "Isn't that great?" Rachel felt confusion set in, not sure how she could even have a budding friendship with Brody when Finn now went to the school. She plastered her best smile, folding her hands in front of her. Brody on the other hand wasn't amused. He knew the only reason that Finn was here was to get Rachel away from him, but that wasn't happening. Not in a million years.

"Yeah…" Brody eyed Finn with suspicion, putting a hand around Rachel's shoulder. Rachel looked at the two boys who were in a staring match, which made her feel awkward. "That sounds great."

"I'm going to head to class." Rachel grabbed her backpack, giving both Brody and Finn a smile. "See you both later." Rachel made her way down the hall while Finn and Brody continued to stare at one another.

"I know exactly what you're doing and the game isn't going to work." Brody sneered.

"Oh, I think it will." Finn confidently said. "By the end of the semester, Rachel will be mine and there will be nothing that you can do about it."

"Fine." Brody and Finn looked one another in the eye up close, causing Brody to shake his head. "Let the games begin, Franken-bitch."

"Oh, so we got jokes now?" Finn gave a hollow chuckle while staring at Brody. "It's on Cinderella Man-Whore." Finn walked down the hall, heading to his first class as a NYADA student while Brody gave Finn a look, shaking his head. There was no way Finn was going to reclaim Rachel's heart. Not if Brody had anything to say about it.

* * *

Santana entered the art gallery that day, spotting Dani in the corner of the room. Santana knew what she had to do. She had to put on her game face, and not let Dani distract her. Before Santana could walk over to Dani, she noticed a girl walking over to her, handing Dani a box of things. Santana spotted the girl leaving and turned her attention to Dani who put the box down to the side. Santana let out a deep breath, walking over to Dani with a smile.

"Hi Dani." Santana said, stuffing her hands in her jacket pockets. Dani turned her head, giving Santana a grin.

"Santana, hi!" Dani pointed to her latest painting as Santana got down on her knees, staring at the painting. "What do you think of my latest project?" Santana looked at the different colors of the rainbow on the painting, touching the part that was dry.

"It's beautiful." Santana said. She then noticed the box of things that were sitting there, then focused her attention to Dani. "Dani, what's in there?"

"Oh, just some of my old things that my ex gave me." Dani didn't make a big deal about it and continued to paint her picture.

"He was a jerk?" Santana questioned.

"_She_ was a pain in the ass." Dani looked to Santana giving her a chuckle. Santana had put her hand in her ear, just to make sure that she heard Dani correctly.

"Wait, you said _she_." Santana felt her heart flutter, quickly composing herself as Dani nodded her head.

"Yeah, I'm gay." Dani said. Santana grinned at her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"And that's perfectly okay." Santana saw Dani staring into her eyes, afraid that Dani would figure out her own little secret. Dani just simply nodded her head, going back to her painting.

"So do you want to help me paint this? I'm thinking of calling this one, _Equality_." Dani wanted to know what Santana thought.

"I think it's perfect." Santana and Dani continued to paint the portrait, but the more that Santana spent time with Dani, the more she felt herself connect to her. She couldn't connect to Dani, even though she wanted to. She wanted to—but there was Brittany in the picture. The _last_ thing Santana wanted to do was cheat on Brittany. What was she going to do?

* * *

_{Scene shows Finn in his NYADA playwriting class, staring at Rachel as she asks the teacher a question. Finn notices Brody looking at him and Finn continues to stare at Rachel}_

_[Finn]  
Lately, I've been  
I've been losing sleep  
Dreaming about the things  
That we could be  
But baby I've been  
I've been praying hard  
Said no more counting dollars  
We'll be counting stars  
Yeah, we'll be counting stars_

_{Scene changes to the hallways where Brody stares at Rachel but Rachel stares at Finn who stares at Brody}_

_[Brody]  
I see this life like a swinging vine  
Swing my heart across the line  
And my face is flashing signs  
Seek it out and you shall find_

_[Finn]  
Old, but I'm not that old  
Young, but I'm not that bold  
I don't think the world is sold  
I'm just doing what we're told_

_[Rachel]  
I feel something so right  
Doing the wrong thing  
I feel something so wrong  
Doing the right thing_

_[Finn]  
I could lie  
Could lie  
Could lie_

_Everything that kills me makes me feel alive_

_{Scene goes to Finn staring out the window of the loft while Rachel stares at him}_

_[Finn and Rachel}  
Lately, I've been  
I've been losing sleep  
Dreaming about the things  
That we could be  
But baby I've been  
I've been praying hard  
Said no more counting dollars  
We'll be counting stars_

_{Scene splits between Brody at the dance studio and Santana looking at Dani with interest}_

_[Brody and Santana]  
Lately, I've been  
I've been losing sleep  
Dreaming about the things  
That we could be  
But baby I've been  
I've been praying hard  
Said no more counting dollars  
We'll be, We'll be counting stars  
Yeah, we'll be counting stars_

_{Scene is just Santana looking at Dani and helping her with her painting}_

_[Santana]  
I feel the love  
And I feel it burn  
Down this river, every turn  
Hope is a four-letter-word_

_{Scene splits between Rachel and Santana as Rachel stares at both Finn and Brody in her literature class}_

_[Santana and Rachel]  
Take that money, watch it burn_

_{Scene goes to Rachel passing Brody in the hallway as she gives a smile, but she sees Finn coming out of his class and she gives him a smile}_

_[Rachel]  
Old, but I'm not that old  
Young, but I'm not that bold  
I don't think the world is sold  
I'm just doing what we're told_

_{Finn watches Rachel walk past him as he shakes his head at Brody staring at Finn}_

_[Finn]  
I feel something so wrong  
Doing the right thing_

_[Brody]  
I could lie  
Could lie  
Could lie_

_Everything that drowns me makes me wanna fly_

_{Scene goes to Finn sitting on his bed shirtless, looking away from the door. Rachel stands in his doorway staring at him}_

_[Finn and Rachel]_  
_Lately, I've been_  
_I've been losing sleep_  
_Dreaming about the things_  
_That we could be_  
_But baby I've been_  
_I've been praying hard_  
_Said no more counting dollars_  
_We'll be counting stars_

_{Scene goes to Brody walking along the streets of Brooklyn while Santana sits in the loft, staring at Brittany's Fondue for Two show}_

_[Brody and Santana]  
Lately, I've been  
I've been losing sleep  
Dreaming about the things  
That we could be  
But baby I've been  
I've been praying hard  
Said no more counting dollars  
We'll be counting stars  
Yeah, we'll be counting stars_

_{Scene splits between Finn sitting on his bed, Rachel staring in Finn's doorway, Brody walking along the streets and Santana lying on the sofa}_

_[Finn]  
Take that money  
Watch it burn  
Sink in the river  
The lessons I've leaned_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
Take that money  
Watch it burn  
Sink in the river  
The lessons I've learned_

_[Finn, Rachel and Brody]  
Take that money  
Watch it burn  
Sink in the river  
The lessons I've learned_

_[Finn, Rachel, Brody and Santana]  
Take that money  
Watch it burn  
Sink in the river  
The lessons I've learned_

_[Finn]  
Everything that kills me makes me feel alive_

_{Scene changes to the NYADA stage where Finn, Rachel, Brody and Santana are standing, singing out to the open}_

_[Finn, Rachel, Brody and Santana]  
Lately, I've been  
I've been losing sleep  
Dreaming about the things  
That we could be  
But baby I've been  
I've been praying hard  
Said no more counting dollars  
We'll be counting stars  
Yeah, we'll be counting stars_

_[Finn]  
Lately, I've been  
I've been losing sleep  
Dreaming about the things  
That we could be  
But baby I've been  
I've been praying hard  
Said no more counting dollars  
We'll be counting stars  
Yeah, we'll be counting stars_

_[Rachel, Brody and Santana]  
Take that money  
Watch it burn  
Sink in the river  
The lessons I've learned_

_[Finn, Rachel, Brody and Santana]  
Take that money  
Watch it burn  
Sink in the river  
The lessons I've learned_

_Take that money  
Watch it burn  
Sink in the river  
The lessons I've learned_

_Take that money  
Watch it burn  
Sink in the river  
The lessons I've learned_

_{Scene ends with all of them staring out into the auditorium looking lost as the scene goes to black}_

* * *

_**GUEST STARRING**_

_**Dean Geyer as Brody Weston**_

_**Demi Lovato as Dani**_

_**Whoopi Goldberg as Carmen Tibideaux**_

_**SONG(S):**_

_**Get Lucky (Originally by Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams): Performed by Finn Hudson and Brody Weston**_

_**Little Wonders (Originally by Rob Thomas): Performed by Finn Hudson**_

_**Counting Stars (Originally by OneRepublic): Performed by Finn Hudson, Brody Weston, Rachel Berry and Santana Lopez**_


	3. 1x03: Your Love

**Episode Synopsis: **_Rachel and Finn find themselves at odds with one another after Rachel realizes Finn and Brody fighting for her attention. An argument between them makes Rachel realize Finn's true intentions as to why he sent her to New York; Santana reveals to Dani her sexuality and invites Dani to a friendly dinner at the loft-until she gets an unexpected guest; Kurt gets a job at and his increased workload might put a strain on his relationship with Blaine._

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Glee, but I wish I did._

* * *

"I don't get it, Finn." Rachel said as she and Finn sat down at the kitchen table later that week. Finn was currently working on his homework while Rachel was reading over a script for her playwriting class. "I know I told you to go and find something for you to do in New York, but I didn't mean go to NYADA." Rachel was still a bit concerned as to why Finn decided to go to NYADA. She knew he loved music, but not even Rachel had a thought that Finn had a chance to get in. They only let in 20 students for the new semester. How was Finn one of the 20 students?

"Well I wanted to hone my musical skills. Who knows what I'll do." Finn shrugged his shoulders, looking up from his homework and stared at Rachel.

"Finn, this has nothing to do with Brody, does it?" Rachel raised an eyebrow, becoming suspicious. "Because last time I checked, you didn't like Brody at all."

"Rachel, this has nothing to do with Brody." Finn lied with a straight face. "You think that I got into NYADA just to find a way to stop Brody from hanging out with you?" Rachel studied Finn's face, finally releasing a sigh.

"You're right, sorry." Rachel said. "I should give you more credibility than that." Finn saw Rachel looking down at her paper. "So are your classes okay?"

"My classes, yeah, they're fine." Finn nodded his head. "Although I have this dance teacher who is a complete monster." That was enough to get Rachel to look up at Finn with interest.

"You have a dance teacher? What's her name?" Rachel questioned.

"Her name is Cassandra July." Finn shook his head, wanting to forget about her. "She said that I have two left feet…then actually tripped my left foot as I tried to dance again. I was made to look like a fool in front of her.

"Yikes, that's terrible." Rachel sympathized with Finn. "I don't take dance until next semester, but I know that I'm not going to look forward to it."

"What makes you say that?" Finn asked. Rachel considered answering Finn's question, then released a smile.

"Because if she treats you badly then she'll treat me worse." Rachel chuckled, putting her hand in Finn's. Finn stared down at his hand in Rachel's, trying to analyze what it meant. Rachel looked into Finn's eyes, trying to find something to say. Before Rachel could say anything, there was a knock on the door, causing Rachel and Finn to turn their heads to one another in confusion. "Are you expecting someone?" Rachel let go of Finn's hand in order to get up from the kitchen table, going to the door.

"No, were you expecting someone?" Finn got up from the chair to follow her.

"No, that's why I asked you." Rachel got to the door as Finn checked the peephole. Finn suddenly grabbed the door and slid it open, revealing it to be none other than—Puck!

"PUCK!" Finn exclaimed as Puck shared the same smile.

"FINN! My brother!" Finn and Puck went in for a man hug as Rachel nodded her head over to the both of them.

"Hi Noah." Rachel said.

"Rachel. How goes it." Puck gave Rachel a quick hug, noticing that Rachel was pretty uncomfortable.

"So glad that you're here." Rachel said. "But I have to go to my room and work on my play for my playwriting class. You can stay and talk to Finn though." Rachel waved to the both of them, heading towards her room and closing the door.

"Finn, when were you going to tell me that you were back together with Rachel?" Puck smirked as the two boys made their way to the living room. Finn let out a sad sigh, shaking his head.

"I wasn't going to tell you because I'm _not_ back together with Rachel." Finn said. "I mean, I want to be but I have other things on my mind right now."

"Like what?" Puck wondered. Finn looked around; making sure that Rachel wasn't in ear distance.

"There's this douche in school that is trying to bag Rachel." Finn whispered. "The thing is he plays this innocent card with Rachel and it makes me look like the liar."

"What's his name?" Puck asked.

"Brody Weston." Finn rolled his eyes as Brody's name rolled off his tongue. "Look, I have to find a way to keep Brody away from Rachel and I can't do that if Brody's constantly all over her. There has to be something I could do."

"Ah, let me help you bro." Puck shrugged his shoulders with a smirk. "I have nothing better to do anyway."

"What about your pool cleaning business in L.A.?" Finn raised an eyebrow towards Puck.

"My pool cleaning business can wait." Puck waved it off. "Right now we need to make sure that you keep your girl. Besides, not even Rachel deserves to go out with a womanizer."

"Sounds like a plan." Finn and Puck turned their heads to hear Rachel's room door close as she entered the living room with her purse and jacket. "Where are you going, Rachel?" Rachel turned to Puck and Finn, glancing at the both of them with a small smile.

"Oh, Brody called and asked if I wanted to go to this NYADA club named _Callbacks_." Rachel answered. "Of course, I said yes and I figured why not. I think it would be a good idea."

"Oh, do you mind if we go with you?" Finn asked. Rachel turned to Puck who nodded his head in agreement. Rachel looked back to Finn, crossing her arms.

"Is there a reason why you want to go to _Callbacks_? This has nothing to do with Brody, Finn does it?" Rachel began to sound exasperated.

"No, it's just…Puck's going to be in New York for the week so I figured I'd take him to where all the NYADA kids go to. I didn't know that _Callbacks_ was where they all hung out." Finn innocently answered. Rachel considered Finn's answer, letting out a sigh of defeat.

"All right, grab your jackets and let's go." Rachel instructed. Finn nodded his head, getting his jacket from his room while Rachel stood there, staring at Puck. "This has nothing to do with Brody, does it Puck?" Puck walked over to Rachel, giving her his signature smirk.

"Rachel…this has _everything_ to do with Brody." Puck patted Rachel's shoulder, causing Rachel's eyes to widen. She turned back to Finn who had his jacket, but instead of arguing, she let out a warm smile to him.

"Um, come on. Let's go." Rachel slid open the door, causing Puck and Finn to follow Rachel. Rachel hid her smile from Puck and Finn, actually touched that Finn was so interested and intent on fighting for her. She then realized that she had come to New York to make it as a star—not to be sidetracked in boy troubles.

* * *

Rachel, Finn and Puck entered _Callbacks_ a half hour later, with Finn spotting Brody by the bar area. Finn motioned to Puck as both their gazes focused on Brody. Rachel led them both over as Brody let out a grin to Rachel. His grin suddenly vanished when he saw Finn and someone he never met coming towards him as well. Brody knew what Finn was doing, it was obvious.

"Rachel…" Brody looked down to Rachel, plastering his smile on his face once again. "It's great to see you."

"It's great to see you too, Brody." Rachel turned to Finn and Puck seeing that their smiles were plastered on their faces. "Brody, you remember Finn. And this is Noah Puckerman. He went to school with Finn and me in High School."

"Oh, just call me Puck." Puck shook Brody's hand, but kept his gaze on Brody. "All the chicks and dudes do."

"All right then…noted." Brody nodded his head, giving Puck the same glare. Brody cleared his throat, and let Rachel over to one of the tables. "Um, I got us a table but seeing that you brought some friends over, I guess I should have got the table for four instead."

"It's fine Brody." Rachel assured him. "I'm just here trying to take in the nighttime NYADA scene. You know, there's not a lot of places like this back in Lima."

"I can imagine." Brody chuckled, noticing Finn was staring at him. "Um, can I get you three anything to drink? I mean, there's a bar right behind us."

"Sure, if you want." Rachel smiled at him. "What about you boys?"

"Sure, why not." Puck shrugged as Finn stared at Brody.

"No thanks, I'm good." Finn said. Brody simply nodded his head, keeping face in front of Rachel. Brody walked away to get Rachel and Puck some drinks as Finn shrugged his shoulders. He turned to the stage, seeing some people singing an old 80's song. Finn gaped over at the stage, something that caught Rachel's interest.

"You know Finn, if you want to sing then you should." Rachel smiled at him, noticing that face expression. Finn turned back to Rachel, feeling his cheeks redden. Rachel patted Finn's hand, seeing he was still conflicted.

"I haven't really sung on stage…in front of people since Nationals." Finn sounded nervous. "What if I sound bad? What if I sound pitchy? What if my voice breaks?" Rachel knew Finn was beginning to sound comical towards the end, causing her to chuckle.

"Ask Puck to sing with you." Rachel pointed towards Puck. "Both of you did really awesome duets in High School."

"I'm down." Puck shrugged his shoulders. "I have nothing better to do." Finn noticed Brody coming back with Rachel and Puck's drinks, placing them down in front of them and taking a seat.

"Thanks Brody." Rachel grinned, taking a sip from her drink. Finn stared over at Brody, an idea forming in his mind. He was going to sing—but with a catch.

"All right, Puck and I will sing." Finn agreed. He then leaned closer to Brody, giving him a smirk. "But Brody has to sing with us."

"I have to sing with you two?" Brody looked at them with a surprised expression.

"Come on Brody, it will be fun." Finn smirked. "Besides, we get to show Rachel just how musically gifted we are. That is…you're not chicken…are you?" Brody noticed Rachel's stare, not wanting to disappoint her. After a moment, Brody turned to Finn, nodding his head.

"Fine, I'll sing with you and Puck." Brody got up from the table, going over to the stage with Finn and Puck following.

"Wish me luck." Finn said back to Rachel, who gave him thumbs up. Rachel watched as they went to the stage, still trying to wrap her head around Brody and Finn. It almost seemed like they were fighting for her attention. _No, that can't be_, Rachel thought to herself. _Finn's probably just a little jealous that Brody wants to get to know me better, and it's perfectly natural for him to feel that way. After all, he and I used to date._ Rachel saw Finn sitting behind the drum set with Puck on the guitar and Brody the lead vocalist. She had to wonder what song they were going to sing, they haven't announced it to the room yet. "Hi, I'm Finn. This is Puck and Brody and we're going to sing _Your Love_ by The Outfield." Finn turned his attention to Puck, nodding his head with a grin before his eyes fixated on Rachel while playing the drums. Rachel couldn't help but eye Finn, looking deep into his chocolate brown eyes while his grin illuminated the room—and possibly her heart.

_[Puck]  
Josie's on a vacation far away  
Come around and talk it over  
So many things that I wanna say  
You know I like my girls a little bit older_

_[Brody]  
I just wanna use your love tonight_

_[Finn with Puck]  
I don't wanna lose your love tonight_

_[Finn]  
I ain't got many friends left to talk to  
Nowhere to run when I'm in trouble  
You know I'd do anything for you  
Stay the night but keep it undercover_

_[Brody]  
I just wanna use your love tonight_

_[Finn with Puck]  
I don't wanna lose your love tonight_

_[Finn, Puck and Brody]  
Try to stop my hands from shaking  
Something in my mind's not making sense  
It's been a while since we've been all alone  
I can't hide the way I'm feeling_

_[Brody]  
As you leave me would you please close the door  
And don't forget what I told you  
Just cause you're right doesn't mean I'm wrong  
Another shoulder to cry upon_

_I just wanna use your love tonight_

_[Finn with Puck]  
I don't wanna lose your love tonight (Finn: Yeah!)_

_[Brody]  
I just wanna use your love tonight_

_[Finn]  
I don't wanna lose your love tonight_

_[Brody]  
I just wanna use your love (with Finn and Puck: Tonight)_

_[Finn]  
I don't wanna lose your love tonight (Finn: Yeah!)_

_[Puck with Brody]  
Use your love  
Use your love (Finn: Yeah! I don't wanna lose)  
Use your love tonight (Finn: I don't wanna, I don't wanna, I don' wanna lose tonight!)  
I just wanna use your love tonight (Finn: Oh yeah!)_

The crowd at _Callbacks_ applauded the three men on the stage as Rachel looked over to Finn and Brody. She noticed that they were hugging it out on stage—but she caught a glimpse of Brody's face turning stern. She noticed Finn and Brody looking at each other with the same face expression as they made their way back towards Rachel, their faces brightening when they reached her. Rachel pretended she didn't see the encounter, smiling at the both of them.

"That was really good guys. Wow." Rachel clapped her hands to the both of them. Finn nodded his head, turning his head to Brody, putting an arm around Brody's shoulder.

"Hanging out with you and Brody, singing all the time? Yeah, I'm going to like New York and NYADA." Finn's tone was far from friendly, but it wasn't rude either.

"Get your arm off me." Brody whispered harshly, without Rachel hearing. Finn removed his arm away from Brody, looking towards Rachel. "So Rachel, what did you think?" Rachel looked to the both of them, then to Puck who shrugged his shoulders. Rachel looked back to the two boys, releasing a small smile.

"I…I loved it." Rachel said, faking a smile as she looked to the both of them. If it wasn't obvious before, it was obvious now—Finn and Brody were fighting over her…

* * *

The next morning, Kurt got out of the Times Square station in the city and walked over to one of the most prestigious buildings that could grace New York: _Vogue_. _Vogue_ was anyone's fashion guide. The models made you envy them with their style while the male models gained the interest of Kurt, wondering if they were gay or not. This morning he had an interview for an intern position with Isabelle Wright. She was the head of _Vogue _and . She was the one that made Kurt want to take an after school fashion course at McKinley when there wasn't Glee practice. It was because of her that Kurt aimed to be a fashion designer—even if he didn't get into NYADA. Kurt entered the building, looking to the receptionist who didn't look friendly. Kurt walked slowly to the receptionist, clearing his throat.

"Hi there, I'm looking for Isabelle Wright? I have an appointment." Kurt softly said. The receptionist simply pointed to one of the chairs, still looking at her phone. Kurt shrugged his shoulders, taking a seat next to the stack of _Vogue_ magazines. Kurt opened one of the magazines, skimming through them, and thinking of what he would change on each of the models outfits. Some of them had snakeskin boots and fox coats, something Kurt wouldn't have approved. As Kurt continued to look through the magazines, Isabelle exited the office, staring at Kurt with a smile.

"Hi, are you Kurt Hummel?" Isabelle asked. Kurt turned his head and placed a smile on his face, shaking Isabelle's hand courteously.

"Isabelle Wright, I presume?" Kurt politely asked.

"Yes, that would be me." Isabelle motioned Kurt to one of the rooms, sitting him down in one of the comfortable chairs. "I see that you took a liking to the magazine that was in the waiting room. Can I get you some coffee?"

"Yes please." Kurt nodded his head as Isabelle walked over to the coffee machine. "Wow, what a beautiful office. I love the fabrics."

"Thank you Kurt." Isabelle sounded impressed that he enjoyed the room. "I wish I could take all the credit for this but I have to give credit to the ones that designed the room. All I did was bring in some of the chairs, decided on the lamps and the rug on the floor."

"Well, it's still beautiful." Kurt said. Isabelle handed Kurt a cup of coffee as he thanked her; Isabelle heading to the other side of the desk with a smile.

"All right, so you're applying for the intern position?" Isabelle questioned.

"Yes ma'am." Kurt nodded his head, handing his portfolio to Isabelle. Isabelle took the portfolio, skimming through the designs. As she scanned through them, she found herself becoming more and more impressed with Kurt's work.

"Wow Kurt, this is amazing." Isabelle complimented. "I love the Hippo broach on this design." She showed Kurt the picture as Kurt blushed. "It's different yet it's intriguing. You have quite the fashion sense."

"Thank you, Isabelle." Kurt smiled. He then went into his pocket to get the Hippo broach out to show her. "I actually bought it in case you took a liking to it in the picture."

"Wow, it's really something." Isabelle grinned. She then looked through more of the photos, closing the folders, folding her hands on top of them. "Kurt, I must say for someone your age, this was impressive."

"Really? I mean, it's nothing compared to the things that you do." Kurt said. He considered saying something else, taking a deep breath and holding the magazine he had from the waiting room. "There was something I wanted to discuss with you. It has to do with this outfit with the black and white spotted coat and the snakeskin boots. I was thinking the outfit would look so much better without the snakeskin boots. I mean you can use the same scheme but when I read it was actual snakeskin I was thinking—how would it be with faux snakeskin. It would still be the best and it would be from the finest faux snakeskin ever. Um, it was just a thought." Isabelle looked at the magazine, staring back at Kurt.

"I designed those snakeskin boots." Isabelle pointed to the picture. Kurt's eyes widened, realizing that he had made a mistake. He then heard Isabelle chuckle, seeing she wasn't mad at Kurt's commentary. "I guess faux would have been better—and better for the snakes. Fashionable and an animal lover—I like you Kurt. I like you a lot." Kurt's smile returned as Isabelle grinned at him. "I just hope you know this job isn't going to be easy, and it's going to take a lot of hard work. Also, there can be no distractions. I think you can handle that." Kurt smiled at Isabelle, realizing that in a subtle way, she said that he had the job. Kurt got up from the chair, shaking Isabelle's hand while beaming.

"Thank you, thank you so much." Kurt sounded ecstatic. "I won't let you down! I promise."

"I know you won't." Isabelle smiled at him. "I see great things in you Kurt Hummel. I really do." Kurt couldn't believe that he was in this position. He had to pinch himself once more just to make sure that he had gotten the job. Kurt pinched himself and heard himself yelp, still seeing that he was in the room. Yep…he had gotten the job.

* * *

Rachel sat in the library of NYADA brushing up on a book that she had gotten from one of the shelves, trying to keep herself occupied as she waited for Finn to come meet her. She asked Finn to come so they could talk about the night before at _Callbacks_, realizing that Finn and Brody were head over heels for her and were willing to do whatever it took to get into Rachel's arms. She had to set the record straight. Rachel looked up to see Finn entering the library, and her face softened when she saw he was holding an ice pack to his forehead. Rachel turned worried, getting up from the chair and walking over to him.

"Finn, what happened?" Rachel asked as she reached him. Finn stared over at her, wincing as he held the ice pack over his forehead.

"I was on my way here from the other side of school and I fell." Finn said in evident pain. "I got an ice pack from the nurse—and then she was nice enough to say I was the first klutz to fall over the bike rack in front of the school, then trip down the stairs and crash into a trashcan. I don't think she was being nice about it." Rachel put a hand on the ice pack, instructing Finn to follower and sit down with him. Finn sat down next to Rachel as she eyed his bruise. She made a 'tsk' noise, still putting the ice pack on Finn's head.

"Ouch, it looks like it hurts." Rachel stated the obvious.

"Well it doesn't feel good." Finn countered. Rachel eyed the bruise, putting her hand on it, which caused Finn to yelp in pain. "Damn it, Rachel!"

"Sorry, sorry." Rachel panicked slightly. She looked into Finn's eye, then up to his bruise as she placed a kiss on his bruise. She wasn't sure what she was doing but Finn looked surprised.

"Rachel? Did you just kiss my bruise?" Finn pointed to his bruise as Rachel blushed. She nodded her head slowly, moving her hair away from her face.

"My dads used to do that when I would get bruises…I guess my motherly instincts kicked in." Rachel slightly lied. She wasn't quite sure why she kissed Finn's face, but they just continued to look at one another in interest. "Hey, I was wondering—I wanted to talk to you about last night."

"What about last night?" Finn tried to play it off as Rachel stared at him.

"Um, I wanted to ask something and I need you to be honest with me." Rachel took Finn's hands in hers, staring into his eyes. "Last night at _Callbacks_ it seemed that you and Brody were a little…at odds with one another. I could tell."

"I wasn't at odds with Brody." Finn shrugged his shoulders. "I…" Finn looked Rachel in the eyes, seeing that she was staring at him in confusion. Finn released a sigh, shaking his head. "I'm not at odds with Brody. It's just that I'm not sure whether to make heads or tails of him."

"So you don't trust Brody." Rachel raised an eyebrow at him. "That's why you've been acting a little squirrely? Because you don't trust Brody?"

"Yeah, I believe I said that…" Finn looked down, avoiding Rachel's gaze. Rachel lifted Finn's head causing him to look into her eyes. "I'm just trying to protect you, Rachel…"

"Finn…Brody's a nice guy, okay?" Rachel assured him. "Brody is not going try to hurt me in anyway."

"And how certain about Brody are you?" Finn asked, becoming interested. "I mean, you always seem to see the good in people, but what if Brody has no good? What if Brody just has intentions that aren't good for you? You're a smart girl Rachel, but I don't want to see people take advantage of you. There will be a lot of people that will do that." Rachel continued to look at Finn, shaking her head.

"I don't think Brody is bad." Rachel said.

"Let me ask you something." Finn leaned back in his chair while eyeing Rachel. "What did I say about Jesse St. James? I said he was no good for you. What did he do? He and his Vocal Adrenaline buddies egged you in the school parking lot. I think I know when I see bad things in people. And I just wish that you would believe me, just once."

"Okay, Finn." Rachel began to sound annoyed with Finn's constant hovering. "I don't know what your problem here is but I am going to be Brody's friend, whether you like it or not. You're not my boyfriend so you can't keep telling me what to do."

"You act like you don't still love me, Rachel." Finn began to feel his voice raising. "But Rachel, I know that you still have feelings for me. You still love me but you're trying to bottle up all your feelings and trying to pursue the bad boy of NYADA. Why are you doing this to me?!"

"Because you left me, that's why!" Rachel screamed, not realizing that she was bringing attention to herself. "You put me on that New York train and you let me go! Why didn't you fight for me?! Why didn't you WANT ME?!"

"I DID WANT YOU RACHEL!" Finn exclaimed, getting up from his seat.

"Really? You wanted me?!" Rachel shook her head, feeling tears stream down her face. "Well you had a funny way of showing it."

"Oh so just letting you stay in Lima, letting you marry me, just letting you settle was the right thing to do?!" Finn seemed almost disgusted. "You would have _HATED_ me and you know it! You would have been unhappy and you would have blamed me. You would have asked me, 'why didn't you let me go! I could have made something of myself but instead I'm stuck with you!' I didn't want to hear that. Rachel, I loved you…I still love you…and that's why I let you go. That's why I let you go. Because I wanted _you_ to be happy." Rachel crossed her arms, shaking her head at Finn. "Look, I'm sorry I was being an ass to Brody, all right? I'm sorry but you don't understand how much I love you…and I was just trying to protect you." Rachel stood silent, staring at Finn, not sure if she should say anything. There were a small crowd of students staring at both Finn and Rachel. Finn felt his face softening as his voice broke. "Rachel, say something please…" Rachel crossed her arms, looking down at the ground. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to say. She looked up at him, shrugging her shoulders.

"Finn, what do you want me to say?" Rachel felt the tears stream down her cheeks. "I don't know what to say right now…I love you…I do. But things are _so_ awkward between us right now. It's kind of confusing. I love you but…I don't know if I can _forgive_ you." Rachel and Finn stood quiet for a few moments until Finn cleared his throat with tears of his own falling down his cheeks.

"You don't know if you can forgive me?" Finn sounded heartbroken. "I put you on a train to New York. I made you follow your dream in the city. And you don't know if you can _forgive me_? You don't know if you can forgive me for making YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE?!" Finn wiped the tears from his face, still looking at Rachel. "I joined the army because I felt empty. I let you go off and live your dreams—and I didn't know what I was going to do with my life. To find out I wasn't cut out for the army really _sucked_ Rachel. It sucked. I had no direction until I decided to come here and try to make something of myself. But now that I'm here and realizing that you don't want me…what's there to do? You'd rather go out with Brody. So you know what, go right ahead. Go right ahead and date him. But since I'm at NYADA…I have to make a name for myself—whether that's with you by my side or not." Finn walked past Rachel, leaving the library and the door closing behind her. Rachel wiped her tears, standing there and thinking about Finn's words. Was Rachel really being unfair towards Finn?

* * *

Kurt sat at his new desk at , staring around at his surroundings. He couldn't believe that he was here—he was at _Vogue_. He was working at where was his dream job (sort of). Kurt heard his iPhone ring, seeing Blaine on the screen. Kurt had told Blaine about his new job at Vogue during his lunch break, but before he could go into detail, he had to do more work for Isabelle. Kurt picked up the phone, staring at the computer screen, viewing the fall collection lines.

"Hello?" Kurt said.

"_Hey stranger_. _How goes it?"_ Blaine's voice filled Kurt's ear. Kurt's smile widened as he continued to stare at the computer.

"Just doing some work for Isabelle. We have to have the printouts for the October issue of the magazine in the morning." Kurt answered, holding the phone close to him. Before Kurt could answer, he heard the work phone ring. "Oh, Blaine I have to take this. Sorry. Give me a minute." Kurt went over to the work phone, taking the phone call as he put the phone to his ear. "Hello? Oh hi Margaret…" While Kurt was talking on the phone, Blaine sat at his room desk patiently, hearing Kurt laugh with glee. It almost sounded like Kurt was having fun in New York. A little too much fun without him. He was blending into his surroundings, and he was stuck in boring Lima for another year. Kurt was having an adventure—Blaine's only adventure was to be in the Glee Club. After what seemed like an eternity, Blaine heard Kurt clear his throat. "Oh, sorry Blaine."

"_It's fine_." Blaine said, looking down at his feet. "_So Vogue sounds like a lot of fun._"

"Oh it is the best." Kurt gushed. "I've only been here one day and I feel like I'm at my calling. Now I know how Rachel must feel at NYADA. This is the place for me. I can feel it. I mean, I've never been happier in my entire life."

"_I'm glad your happy Kurt, I really am_." Blaine sounded saddened. Kurt caught onto Blaine's sadness, holding the phone close to his ear.

"No you're not…what's the matter?" Kurt sighed.

"_Well, it's nothing._" Blaine tried to lie, but when Kurt cleared his throat, Blaine knew he couldn't do it. "_What if you get too busy for me? I mean, Vogue is a prestigious honor and there's not a lot of jobs hanging around like that._"

"Blaine, I could never get too busy for you." Kurt sighed. "I'll try my hardest to make time for you. I really will." However, as those words came out of Kurt's mouth, Kurt heard the phone ring once again, causing him to emit a groan. "Look, I'll call you back later, okay?"

"_Okay…" _Blaine was about to tell Kurt he loved him—until Kurt hung up the phone. Blaine put the phone to the side of him, burying his heads in his hands. He wanted to think Kurt getting a high maintenance job was going to be good for their relationship—but the more Blaine thought about it, the more of a possibility that Kurt's job could drag them both down.

* * *

Santana spent her afternoon, sitting in the art gallery with Dani, working on Dani's latest painting—and Santana could easily tell you that being with Dani wasn't easy. All afternoon, the two of them had sent glances to one another, giving one another a smirk and a smile. Santana was trying her hardest to hide the fact that she played for the other team in front of Dani, but the more she tried, the harder it was. Santana and Dani sat on the floor, painting one of the pictures, realizing that it was a little too quiet in the room. Santana figured that some conversation could lighten the mood, and Dani probably would have thought it would be a good idea.

"So, what do you call this painting after you called your last one _Equality_?" Santana asked. Dani thought for a moment, shrugging her shoulders with a smirk.

"I was thinking, _Love_." Dani muttered. Santana stared over at Dani, looking down at the picture. They did draw many hearts that were paired together with the same color. Santana thought that the message behind the painting was marriage equality, how the hearts were the same colors and they were paired together.

"How about you scrap the name of your last painting and call this one, _Equal Love_." Santana suggested. Dani looked down at the painting, realizing Santana's point, nodding her head.

"That's a good idea." Dani agreed. As the both of them stared down at the picture and back at one another, Santana clasped her hands together. She needed a big distraction from staring into Dani's eyes, and she figured out the perfect one—music.

"How about we play some tunes here?" Santana went into her backpack, pulling out an iPod and a pair of speakers. "I think it's getting a little too quiet in here and music usually helps."

"That sounds like a great idea." Dani saw Santana looking through the songs, spotting one that she wanted to hear. "How about you play that one?"

"This one?" Santana looked at the name of the song, thinking about whether she should. She didn't want to send clues and hints about her sexuality towards Dani, but she decided that it couldn't have been a bad idea. After all, they did need some inspiration for their new painting _Equal Love_, right? "All right, let's play it." Santana pressed a button on the iPod, the room filling with the house beat. Dani and Santana found themselves singing along to the music, staring into each other's eyes, having the best time that they possibly could.

_{Scene starts with Dani getting up and walking around Santana as Santana grins towards her}_

_[Dani]  
I need your love  
I need your time  
When everything's wrong  
You make it right  
I feel so high  
I come alive  
I need to be free with you tonight  
I need your love_

_{Dani and Santana get up from the floor and start dancing to the music}_

_[Dani]  
I need your love_

_{Santana and Dani paint the picture and Santana stares at Dani as Dani notices}_

_[Santana]  
I take a deep breath every time I pass your door  
I know you're there but I can't see it anymore  
And that's the reason that you're in the dark  
I've been a stranger ever since we fell apart  
And I feel so helpless here  
Watch my eyes are filled with fear  
Tell me do you feel the same  
Hold me in your arms again_

_{Santana and Dani run along the hallways of the art gallery, smiling and singing along}_

_[Dani and Santana]  
I need your love  
I need your time  
When everything's wrong  
You make it right  
I feel so high  
I come alive  
I need to be free with you tonight  
I need your love_

_I need your love_

_{Dani and Santana hold paintbrushes and they paint small flowers on each other's cheeks}_

_[Dani]  
Now I'm dreaming will I ever find you now  
I walk in circles but I never figure out  
What I mean to you, do I belong  
I try to fight this but I know I'm not that strong  
And I feel so helpless here  
Watch my eyes are filled with fear  
Tell me do you feel the same  
Hold me in your arms again_

_[Dani and Santana]  
I need your love  
I need your time  
When everything's wrong  
You make it right  
I feel so high  
I come alive  
I need to be free with you tonight  
I need your love_

_I need your love_

_{Dani and Santana hang the pictures up as they each glance at each other with smiles}_

_[Santana]  
All the years  
All the times  
You were never been to blame  
But now my eyes are open  
And now my heart is closing_

_[Dani]  
And all the tears  
All the lies  
All the waste  
I've been trying to make a change  
But now my eyes is open_

_{Dani and Santana do a playful tango around the room with smiles}_

[Dani and Santana]  
I need your love  
I need your time  
When everything's wrong  
You make it right  
I feel so high  
I come alive  
I need to be free

_I need your love_

Santana and Dani lay on the floor, looking up at the ceiling after singing, never recalling having so much fun before at work. Santana eyed Dani with a grin, her face then turning to solemn. Dani seemed like a cool person that wasn't ashamed of being herself, so why was Santana having that trouble as well? Santana sat up, staring over at Dani.

"Hey…there's something I have to tell you." Santana sighed. Dani stared over at Santana, nodding her head with a small grin.

"I pretty much know what you're going to tell me." Dani sat up from her position, looking Santana in the eyes. "You're gay." Santana was taken aback, looking at Dani in shock.

"Do you mind if I ask how you knew what I was going to say?" Santana questioned. Dani shrugged her shoulders, a playful smile tugging her lips.

"I kind of figured because I saw the way you were looking at me." Dani said. "It's the same way my ex-girlfriend used to look at me. It was actually kind of nice…"

"Yeah, about that…" Santana crossed her legs, looking at Dani. "I have a girlfriend back home. Her name is Brittany. I like you a lot Dani and I know we only knew each other for a little while, but…I just can't do that to Brittany."

"I understand, Santana." Dani put her hand up, stopping Santana from her babbling. "I'd be the exact same way if it were me."

"You would?" Santana questioned.

"I would." Dani answered truthfully. "Actually, I think that it's really sweet that you care about your girlfriend so much. Well, don't worry. We can still be friends if you'd like."

"I would really like that." Santana said. Santana continued to stare over at Dani for a few more seconds, the question that came out of her mouth just flying out as if it was nothing. "Do you want to come over to the loft I live in later? I could cook you a dinner or something?" Dani continued to stare at Santana, finally nodding her head with a grin.

"I would love that, Santana."

* * *

"Dude, you can't just pack up your things and leave." Puck sat on the chair next to Finn's bed as Finn started packing his belongings from the room into his backpack. "This is like running away from your problems."

"I'm not running away from my problems." Finn tried to convince Puck. "I just need to give Rachel a little bit of breathing room. Besides, it seems like I'm not wanted here. She blames me for sending her to New York instead of getting married. She really, really blames me for it. It's like she's unhappy I chose her happiness first."

"Finn, I think she's just confused." Puck tried to reason. "I mean, you did force her onto a train, sending her a thousand miles away from Lima, Ohio into the bright lights of New York City. Anyone would be a bit confused of a person's intentions there."

"Why are you sounding like you've been watching re-runs of _Oprah_?" Finn wondered.

"Because maybe I have been." Puck admitted, turning serious again. "Finn, you can't just walk out that door and leave Rachel like that. It wouldn't be fair to her and it wouldn't be fair to you."

"So it's okay for her to go and want to sleep with the bad boy of NYADA?" Finn scoffed. "If she wants to sleep with him, I'm not gonna be here to hear the bed slam against my wall."

"But you're already enrolled in NYADA. It's not like you can blow off school." Puck said.

"The only reason I really joined NYADA was because I wanted to get Rachel back, okay?" Finn revealed. "There was no reason for me to really be there. Whatever kid that Carmen Tibideaux was going to give the spot to before me can have it."

"Finn, this is getting too much." Puck shook his head. "You feel like you're not good enough for the army, and now you feel like you're not good enough for NYADA. Dude, you're scared you're going to fail at everything so you plan on running away. Do we fail in life sometimes? Yes! We do. But we have to go against the current and just keep swimming."

"And now you're quoting _Finding Nemo_." Finn sighed. "Really, is there anything that you're not going to use from T.V. to get me to change my mind?"

"Finn, I'm saying this because you're my bro and I love you like a brother." Puck got up to place a hand on Finn's shoulder. "Please don't go. If you go then you're going to regret it because that's going to mean Brody won. Brody's going to take Rachel's heart, he's going to break it and you're not going to be there to catch her when she falls. Rachel doesn't need that jackass. She needs you." Finn continued to look at Puck, still wondering if he was right.

"I don't know Puck…" Finn sighed.

"Look, you have to talk to her. That argument I heard you had in the library sounded pretty serious." Puck softly said. "You don't want to be cold towards one another and never have another chance at being together, do you?"

"Well…no, but…" Finn started to say before Puck cut him off.

"But nothing." Puck firmly said. "You're going to stay here, you're going to go to NYADA and you're going to convince Rachel that you belong with her. It's as simple as that." Puck started to head to the door when he heard footsteps coming down the hallway. "And judging by those shoes, it sounds like Rachel. I'm gonna let you two talk…I'm going to walk around New York a bit and try to get some phone numbers from models." As Puck left out the door, Rachel peered into Finn's room. She was wondering whether she should talk to him or not—and she realized now she had her chance. Rachel entered the room, noticing Finn's bags packed, feeling guilty that she had drove him this far.

"Finn, can we talk about this for a moment?" Rachel sat down on Finn's bed, noticing that Finn wasn't looking at her. Rachel looked away from him, letting out a sigh. "All right, I'm just going to talk and I'm going to pretend that you are listening because I really need you here. Without you, I don't really know what I'm doing, what kind of person I am! I don't even know what I'm doing in New York. I'm way out of my league here! I'm freaking out Finn! I really am! I'm sorry that I told you that it's your fault and I'm sorry about everything that's happened since you got here. I haven't been extremely fair with you, and the last thing I want to do is hurt you but you need to understand, that I'm just as lost as you are." Finn turned his head slightly when he heard Rachel's voice break, seeing that she was on the verge of crying again. "I'm lost Finn and I can't do this on my own. Santana and Kurt are doing their own thing and if you leave then I will truly be on my own again. I don't want to feel like that ever again. Something felt like it was missing—I…" Rachel didn't get a chance to finish her sentence. A moment later, Finn swooped in and kissed Rachel's lips passionately. Rachel didn't even bother trying to push Finn away. She clung her hands into the back of his neck, forcefully kissing him back with every bone in her body. After a moment, they parted, eyeing one another in the eyes. Finn wasn't sure what took over Rachel, but she was suddenly eyeing him with lust—as if she needed more.

"I'm not going anywhere…" Finn whispered, shaking his head. Finn grabbed Rachel's hand, looking her in the eyes and released a small smile. "I'm not going anywhere." Rachel wasn't quite sure what was going on—but she needed Finn and she needed him right now. Finn knew that look as well—and he also wanted her.

_{Scene starts with Rachel and Finn sitting on the edge of Finn's bed, looking at one another as Finn starts pressing kisses on Rachel's lips}_

_[Finn]  
I hear you breathing in  
Another day begins  
The stars are falling now  
My dreams are fading out, fading out_

_{Rachel unbuttons Finn's shirt as she looks at him, giving him a passionate kiss}_

_[Rachel]  
I've been keeping my eyes wide open  
I've been keeping my eyes wide open_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
Oh your love is a symphony  
All around me  
Running through me  
Oh your love is a melody  
Underneath me  
Running to me_

_{Finn and Rachel fall back on Finn's bed as Rachel looks him in the eyes with a smile}_

_Your love is a song_

_{Scene changes with a split: Blaine sitting on his bed while Kurt sits at the desk in Vogue, staring at the catalog}_

_[Blaine]  
The dawn is fire by  
The dancing city lights  
The crowds are growing loud  
The moon is blacking out  
Oh it's blacking out_

_[Kurt]  
I've been keeping my mind wide open  
I've been keeping my mind wide open_

_[Blaine and Kurt]  
Oh your love is a symphony  
All around me  
Running through me  
Oh your love is a melody  
Underneath me  
Running to me_

_{Scene shows just Kurt staring up at the window and staring out the window}_

_[Kurt]  
Oh, your love is a song  
Your love is a song_

_{Scene goes to Finn and Rachel covered in the blankets, giving each other kisses}_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
Oh, your love is a song  
Your love is strong_

_{Scene goes to Dani and Santana sitting on the loft floor, staring at one another with a smile}_

_[Dani]  
With my eyes wide open  
I got my eyes wide open_

_[Santana]  
I've been keeping my hopes unbroken  
Yeah, yeah_

_{Scene switches between Santana and Dani's dinner, Kurt sitting at his desk, Blaine sitting on his bed and Rachel and Finn looking at the ceiling covered in sheet}_

_[Finn, Rachel, Santana, Dani, Kurt and Blaine]  
Oh your love is a symphony  
All around me  
Running through me  
Oh your love is a melody  
Underneath me  
Running to me_

_[Santana and Dani]  
Your love is a song_

_{Scene changes to Rachel falling asleep in Finn's arms and him kissing her forehead}_

_[Finn]  
Yeah, yeah  
Your love is my remedy  
Your love is a song_

_{Finn turns off the light next to him and the scene goes back to Santana and Dani eating dinner}_

* * *

"I had no idea that you made such good linguine." Dani complimented as she took a bite of her dinner.

"Oh, I didn't know I had it in me either." Santana smiled, turning away so that Dani couldn't hear her. "Thank you Olive Garden."

"This is really nice, Santana. It really is." Dani gave Santana a grin, as the both of them stared at one another. "I never knew that I could enjoy a dinner with a friend."

"So just for conversation…um, what was your last girlfriend like?" Santana raised her sparkling cider to her lips.

"She was so overbearing." Dani admitted. "I don't know why I went out with her. I guess because I felt that I wasn't beautiful enough or something. I don't know…"

"Well, I don't know why you think you aren't beautiful." Santana softly said. "You obviously are." Dani looked to Santana, feeling her cheeks reddening at Santana's compliment. Suddenly, they were interrupted by a knock at the door, which puzzled Santana. Kurt had a key and Rachel and Finn were both in the loft in their rooms. Who could it have been? "Hold on, let me get that." Santana got up from the floor to walk over to the door. Santana slid it open and she had to make sure that she did a double take. It was none other than Brittany— who was staring right at Dani. Brittany looked to Santana, back to Dani and finally to Santana again, wondering if it was a wrong time—and just what in the world was going on there. "Brittany…um…what are you doing in New York?"

* * *

_**GUEST STARRING**_

_**Dean Geyer as Brody Weston**_

_**Demi Lovato as Dani **_

_**Mark Salling as Noah "Puck" Puckerman**_

_**Darren Criss as Blaine Anderson**_

_**Sarah Jessica Parker as Isabelle Wright**_

_**Heather Morris as Brittany Pierce**_

_**SONG(S):**_

_**Your Love (Originally by The Outfield): Performed by Noah "Puck" Puckerman, Brody Weston and Finn Hudson**_

_**I Need Your Love (Originally by Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding): Performed by Dani and Santana Lopez**_

_**Your Love Is A Song (Originally by Switchfoot): Performed by Finn Hudson, Rachel Berry, Blaine Anderson, Kurt Hummel, Dani and Santana Lopez**_


	4. 1x04: Roar

_**Episode Synopsis: **Brody (**Dean Geyer**) continues to psych out Finn, causing Finn to wonder if he's good enough for NYADA-or for Rachel; Brittany (**Heather Morris**) realizes Santana and Dani (**Demi Lovato**) maybe more than friends, causing her to make an empowering decision; Rachel contemplates getting a New York makeover, along with a tattoo, much to Finn's hesitance. _

**_Disclaimer: _**_I do not own Glee, but I wish I did. Enjoy the episode!__  
_

* * *

The next morning Kurt stood in front of the kitchen stove, flipping pancakes and eggs. He had spent the whole night at the office before he was practically forced to come home at 4:00 a.m. Kurt loved the rush of working at _Vogue_ but it could have taken a toll on him. As Kurt continued to flip the pancakes, he didn't notice Finn entering, wearing only his boxers and pajama pants. Finn sat down at one of the seats in the kitchen, grabbing a bowl and placing cereal inside. Kurt noticed Finn's face expression, realizing that he was smiling. No one woke up smiling early in the morning, so Kurt had to wonder why Finn was in such a good mood.

"Good morning, Finn." Kurt flipped the pancake, placing it on a plate. "Someone seems unusually chipper this morning."

"Life is good right now, Kurt." Finn grinned from ear to ear, putting milk inside his cereal bowl. "I mean it's just a beautiful day to look out the window, open it and yell 'hello world! I'm here!'" Kurt didn't have to figure anymore from Finn's words. Kurt kept a blank face as he stared over at Finn.

"Either you took those Vitamin D pills that we all took our sophomore year of high school or you totally got laid last night." Kurt kept his blank face. Finn's smile disappeared, looking at his stepbrother with interest.

"Was it _that_ obvious?" Finn questioned.

"I mean no one thinks the world is gigantically great in the morning unless they got laid, so yeah..." Kurt turned, placing his plate on the table, sitting down across from him. "It was obvious. So I have to know Finn, who was the lucky girl? I mean…there are tons of girls at NYADA that aren't Rachel. So who was the one that made you feel wonderfully great?" Before Finn could answer, Rachel entered the kitchen with her robe on, looking at Finn and Kurt and placing a kiss on Finn's cheek. Finn raised his spoon towards Kurt, putting the cereal in his mouth while Rachel got a bowl for herself. Kurt finally realized what went on. "You had sex with Rachel?!"

"Gee, let's just tell the whole world, Kurt." Rachel satirically said, sitting in the chair next to Finn as she poured herself a bowl of cereal.

"But I thought you two were broken up." Kurt exhaled. "Things were so awkward between you two and it wasn't long ago when you and Finn were denying that you were playing house."

"We're going to take things a little slow." Rachel said.

"So having sex with your ex-boyfriend is taking it slow?" Kurt interrogated.

"Hello, I'm right here." Finn interjected. "Kurt, I was in a fabulous mood this morning. Don't wreck it."

"Fine, I can see you two want to play house some more so I'm going to take my eggs and go downstairs. Who knows, maybe I'll spot a robbery." Kurt used his dry humor as he exited the room. Rachel and Finn looked to see Kurt leaving as they turned back to one another. Rachel bit her lip, staring over at Finn.

"So, about last night…" Rachel muttered as Finn pressed a soft kiss to Rachel's forehead.

"Best night in the city, ever." Finn finished the sentence. "It was better than us going to _Callbacks_."

"Why, I thought you showed Brody a thing or two." Rachel chuckled. "After all, no one can sing and play the drums as sexily as you can." Rachel wrapped her arms around Finn's neck, causing him to blush.

"So playing the drums and singing turns you on?" Finn got closer to Rachel's face, causing her to giggle.

"Only when you do it." Rachel bit her lower lip. Finn kissed Rachel softly, and went back to eating his breakfast.

"So I was just wondering, if Brody sees us today at school, what is he going to think about that?" Finn wanted to know. Rachel shrugged her shoulders, still looking at Finn.

"Does it really matter what Brody thinks or what anyone else thinks?" Rachel asked. "I mean, we're happy together right—as long as we don't keep secrets."

"Of course, I would never do that." Finn swore. Rachel nodded her head, and then ran a hand through Finn's brown hair. Finn closed his eyes and gave a dreamily smile as Rachel scratched his head. She couldn't help but laugh at him, which caused him to open his eyes. "What? What's so funny?"

"You kind of remind me of a dog when you do that." Rachel slightly joked.

"I think I'm better than a dog." Finn smirked, causing Rachel to look into his eyes.

"Oh really? And what makes you think that?" Rachel playfully asked.

"I'm obedient with or without treats." Finn's face then turned sultry as he leaned closer to Rachel's ear. "But I like to be told that I'm a good boy now and again." Rachel playfully smacked Finn's arm, getting up from the chair.

"Finish your breakfast." Rachel instructed as Finn nodded his head. "We have to be at school in an hour."

"All right, all right." Finn sipped the last bit of his milk from the cereal bowl. In a quick move, Finn grabbed Rachel's hand and sat her down in his lap, causing her to giggle. Rachel stared into Finn's eyes, pressing a kiss to his lips. Finn wrapped his arms around Rachel's waist, staring into her eyes with a grin.

"You know, I was thinking something." Rachel said as she continued to look at Finn.

"What were you thinking about?" Finn dreamily stared into Rachel's eyes, causing her to giggle.

"I'm being serious." Rachel pressed a kiss to Finn's nose, her face once again showing seriousness. "I was thinking about maybe, possibly getting a small New York makeover." Finn's eyebrow went up with interest as Rachel felt the need to explain. "I mean think about it Finn. I'm in a new city so I think maybe a fresh new start would be kind of nice."

"But I like the way you look now." Finn said, still looking a bit hesitant.

"I know but it won't be a drastic look." Rachel assured him, still running her hands through his hair. "I mean, maybe just a small change to my hair, some new clothes. It won't be anything crazy like a new tattoo or something. Or on second thought, maybe I should get a tattoo, a gigantic one going all along my arm!" Finn smirked at Rachel, shaking his head.

"You're being sarcastic about the tattoo, aren't you?" Finn asked causing him and Rachel to laugh.

"I mean, I want to run this by you first…" Rachel used her finger and drew along Finn's chest with it while staring into his eyes. "Since you are my _boyfriend_ and all." Finn gained a goofy grin, still looking over at Rachel. He was pretty much on cloud 9 after Rachel confirmed they were together again, that he could care less if Rachel got a tattoo along her arm. Finn nodded his head, staring up at Rachel.

"If the tattoo is what you want, then fine." Finn joked, causing Rachel to roll her eyes playfully.

"I thought you would want me to get a makeover instead." Rachel joked back. Finn kissed Rachel once more then picked her up bridal style as he got up as well. "Finn! We have to get to school!" Rachel giggled as Finn led her to her room and placed her down.

"I was taking you to your room so you could get ready to shower." Finn bowed to her as Rachel nodded her head. "After all, a princess shouldn't have to walk all the way to the bathroom."

"All right…" Rachel crossed her arms, still keeping a loving smirk on her face. "If I'm a princess, then you need to carry me all the way to school."

"Oh you know I can't. My arms would blow out." Finn continued to smile at Rachel. Rachel turned around with a grin, going into her room and getting her supplies for the shower. As Rachel came back out, she put a hand on Finn's shoulder, giving him a smile.

"By the way…were you working out at the army?" Rachel poked Finn's stomach, surprised that it was rock hard. "You look really good."

"Yeah you kept telling me that last night." Finn chided as Rachel rolled her eyes.

"I said you _were_ good." Rachel made her way to the bathroom. "I didn't say you _looked_ good." Rachel blew a kiss to Finn, closing the door behind her. Finn stood there dumbfounded as he suddenly bit his fist to get 'interesting' thoughts out of his mind. Finn headed to his room to get his things for the school day. Suddenly his day got a whole lot brighter.

* * *

An hour later, Finn and Rachel walked along the hallways of NYADA, hand in hand, their fingers intertwined with one another's. Finn looked down at his hands, unbelieving that he was holding hands with Rachel—the most amazing girl in the world. Rachel was currently making sure all of her hairs were in place, as they had to be perfect for the first class of the day. Rachel turned her attention to Finn, releasing a smile.

"You look perfect." Finn assured her. "Why are you fidgeting?"

"Because I want to make sure that I look like I just came out of the subway in one piece." Rachel smirked. "I don't want to look like we had a quickie in the backseat of your car."

"If you can't keep your hands off me then I am the man." Finn slightly fist pumped, causing Rachel to laugh. "Whoop, whoop."

"All right hotshot." Rachel giggled, looking at the dance studio. "Here's your first class of the day. Please don't try to break your nose—or break anyone's nose?" Rachel kissed Finn quickly as she let go of his hand.

"I can't promise that." Finn looked up at the door, letting out a deep breath as he walked in. Finn entered his dance class, seeing Brody standing there and stretching. Finn placed his backpack down on the ground, walking towards Brody with a smirk. "Why hello there Brody." Finn grabbed the bar and used it to stretch out his leg. Brody shook his head, going back to his stretching, but then realized that Finn was acting a little happier than usual. Brody turned around, facing Finn as he crossed his arms.

"Why are you so happy?" Brody questioned, seeing that Finn was smirking.

"Oh, nothing…" Finn said, looking back at the floor. "Well, if you must know I had a very good night last night. Finally took a lady home with me and…you know the rest." Brody shook his head, trying to figure out what Finn was saying.

"Oh really, so you finally moved on from Rachel and slept with a random chick?" Brody became slightly interested.

"Oh not just any chick." Finn answered, looking at Brody. "She goes to school here."

"Oh she does, now does she?" Brody stretched out his arms, still trying to figure out what he was trying to imply. "So what does she look like?"

"She's short, has brown hair, cute nose, adorable brown eyes, she wants to be on Broadway—" Finn crossed his arms, still looking at Brody. "I think you can put together who it was. I didn't move on from Rachel. I _slept_ with Rachel."

"You what?" Brody sounded a little ticked off towards Finn. "You slept with Rachel?"

"And this morning she called me her boyfriend so you snooze you lose buddy." Finn headed towards the other side of the dance studio, seeing Brody fuming.

"Finn, you can't offer Rachel anything." Brody said. "You got into NYADA because of luck, but I can assure you that you won't make it the first semester. During Freshman Reaping you are going to wish you were never enrolled here."

"Freshman Reaping?" Finn turned back around, crossing his arms. "What's that?"

"You really don't know? Well, apparently I have some news for you." Brody scoffed. "If you don't make it through the Freshman Reaping at the end of the semester, you're kicked out of NYADA. That means you'll be out of my hair and Rachel will be for the taking. I think I can handle a girl like Rachel."

"She's not a toy." Finn was becoming upset.

"She's not? Well you're certainly treating her like a toy. Bragging about how you slept with her." Brody sounded almost as if he was manipulating Finn. "I don't think Rachel would appreciate that small fact."

"Look Brody, I don't know what you're all about but as long as I'm with Rachel you're gonna stay away from her and if you don't like it, then tough luck. There are a hundred other girls that go here that will be a part of your little game." Finn went back to stretching and didn't bother saying another word to Brody for the rest of the class. He had Rachel already. He was already the one that she committed herself to. Why was he worried about Brody? There was no reason to be nervous, but then again with Brody there was always a reason to be on the edge.

* * *

Santana sat in the loft that morning staring at the person that was across the table. It was none other than Brittany, who simply stared at her coffee with sadness. Santana had to say something to Brittany. She just had to. Ever since Brittany spotted Santana and Dani together, she couldn't help but wonder if Santana was cheating on her. Santana would never do that—but it was a slight possibility. Brittany looked over to Santana, fixating her gaze over to the sugar, Brittany grabbed the sugar, placing it in her coffee, finally taking a sip of it and putting it to the side.

"I don't like coffee." Brittany finally said after a moment. Those were Brittany's first three words to Santana since the night before. Santana held her cup close to her, staring down at the coffee inside her cup. Brittany took a deep breath, circling her hands on the table. "So that was Dani?"

"Yeah, that was Dani." Santana nodded her head, sipping her coffee.

"Oh…" Brittany bobbed her head as if she understood. "Where did you meet Dani?"

"Dani works at the art gallery that I work at." Santana answered, still wondering when Brittany was going to cut the act. Santana released a sigh, looking at Brittany. "Brittany, look. I know you're upset. But there is nothing going on between Dani and me. I promise."

"Well it's kind of hard to think that when I saw you and Dani sitting on the living room floor." Brittany said.

"Brittany." Santana grabbed Brittany's hands, looking into Brittany's eyes. "There's nothing going on between Dani and I. We're just really great friends. She works where I work. That's all there is to it." Brittany and Santana stared at one another, hoping that one of them would give a smile. Brittany finally cracked a small smile, seeing the honesty in Santana's eyes.

"I believe you." Brittany said. Brittany then sat up in her chair, her grin illuminating the kitchen. "I was wondering if I could go to your job so I can see what it's like to work in an art gallery."

"You want to go see an art gallery?" Santana questioned, a smile creeping on her face.

"I would love to." Brittany clasped her hands together with a grin. "Maybe they have a picture of a cat so I can take a picture of it for Lord Tubbington." Santana lovingly smiled over at Brittany, still staring at Brittany's childlike wonder. Brittany sure was something—wasn't she?

* * *

Finn sat at his desk that afternoon, working on his homework for his class the next day, still thinking about what Brody said about the Freshman Reaping. He knew that it was at the end of the semester, but it was still on Finn's mind. Finn tapped his pencil on the desk, wondering if he should at least think of a song to sing for the Freshman Reaping. He was actually beginning to enjoy NYADA. NYADA was a brand new world for him and he could have done whatever he wanted. Right now, he wasn't sure what he was going to major in, but he had the whole semester to figure it out—if he was a student by the end of the semester that is. Finn continued to rap his pencil against the desk, feeling his head pounding from all the thinking. He needed a distraction. He needed to be with Rachel. Finn put down his pencil, getting up from the desk and headed over to Rachel's room where she was working on her homework. He knew that if they were in the same room, there would have been no way that they were going to get their homework done, so they thought it was for the best if homework time was separate time. Finn knocked on the door, seeing Rachel was busy writing down some words on a piece of paper when she whiplashed her head to see Finn. Her smile widened, motioning him to come in.

"Hey, I know you said homework time was separate time but I wanted to talk to you about something." Finn walked over to Rachel, standing behind her chair as she leaned against him. Finn looked down at her, seeing she wasn't working on homework—but drawing designs. Flowers, musical notes, you name it. Finn peered at the paper, giving Rachel a quizzical look. "Rachel, I thought you were doing homework."

"Oh, I was." Rachel nodded her head, peering back down at the sheet of paper. "But then I found myself drawing designs. Remember this morning when you were talking about tattoo designs?"

"Yeah…" Finn nodded his head. "I was joking when I said you should get a tattoo."

"I know, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized maybe I should get a tattoo." Rachel shrugged her shoulders. Finn's eyes went wide, sitting down next to Rachel with concern.

"Rachel, I don't know…" Finn shook his head. "I mean a tattoo is permanent. And if you want it removed then it's going to cost thousands of dollars."

"I know, but maybe just a small one. Maybe on my wrist or something?" Rachel shrugged her shoulders. Finn took Rachel's hands in his, staring into her eyes.

"Is something going on?" Finn questioned, staring at Rachel. "First you want a makeover and then you want a tattoo. Are you unhappy with the way you look or something?" Rachel stared at Finn, letting out a sigh.

"I'm not unhappy." Rachel said. "I just want a change. I mean I'm in New York now. I was just considering it."

"I know you were but you're perfect Rachel." Finn rubbed his thumb on Rachel's cheek, seeing she was still staring at him. "You're beautiful, and you don't need to change. If you want to get a makeover then I don't see why not but try to think about what getting a tattoo will do to you? I mean, there's nothing wrong with it but—it's a little permanent. Will you promise that you'll just hold off on the tattoo thing for now?" Rachel stared Finn in his eyes, finally relenting.

"All right, I'll hold off on getting a tattoo." Rachel brought Finn's other hand up to her lips as she kissed it. "But I am getting a makeover. Kurt already offered to help me."

"All right then." Finn said. "It kind of helps that Kurt has connections at Vogue, doesn't it?"

"Just a little." Rachel softly said as Finn nodded his head. "You know, you could get a whole new wardrobe too."

"Oh really?" Finn looked down at the clothes he was wearing then up at Rachel. "What's wrong with my clothes?"

"For one thing it looks like you were going through Mr. Schue's closet with all the sweater vests." Rachel pointed to the sweater vest as Finn chuckled. "I mean I get that he was a big influence on you but come on…you in those clothes makes me feel like I'm sort of sleeping with Mr. Schue."

"Point taken." Finn felt disturbed about the thought of Rachel and Mr. Schue—Finn had to get it out of his mind. He took a deep breath, and then took off the sweater vest as he threw it to the floor. "All right, is it a little better?" Rachel tapped her chin, finally shaking her head with a smirk.

"Not quite yet…" Rachel unbuttoned Finn's red, brown and white plaid shirt, throwing it to the floor as soon as all the buttons were off. Finn looked down at his tank top, realizing what Rachel was doing. "I still don't think it's just right."

"All right, you're not giving me a makeover." Finn moved his face closer to Rachel's as he pressed a kiss on it. "You're trying to undress me."

"Is it working?" Rachel slyly questioned, biting her lower lip. Finn considered Rachel's question, finally nodding his head.

"Yeah, it's working." Finn pressed his lips to Rachel's as they passionately kissed, both of them holding one another. Finn picked Rachel up from her chair, bringing her to the bed as she let out a laugh. "I think I have to check out the mechanics of this bed, what do you think?" Rachel let out a loud laugh, being stopped in her laughter as Finn kissed her once more. Finn parted, staring down at Rachel, Rachel realizing that there was just something on his mind.

"Is everything okay?" Rachel wondered. Finn considered telling Rachel what was going on, the fact that Brody had scared him into the fact that he might not make it into a second semester at NYADA.

"Did you hear about the Freshman Reaping at NYADA?" Finn asked. Rachel sat up from her laying position, looking Finn in the eyes. "Brody was telling me about it and I'm kind of scared right now."

"Why are you scared about the Freshman Reaping?" Rachel wondered.

"Rachel, I don't know if I'm good enough to stay in NYADA." Finn worried. "I mean, I was good enough to get in but I don't know if I'll be able to continue going there for more than half the semester." Finn was brought out of his thoughts as Rachel pressed a kiss to his lips. Finn responded to the kiss, Rachel grabbing a fistful of his hair, causing him to slightly groan. Rachel parted, looking into his eyes.

"You were good enough to get in NYADA and you are going to be good enough to stay there." Rachel assured him. "Besides, why were you talking to Brody? I thought that you hated him."

"I do still hate him, but he was plotting ways on trying to get you in his corner so I…kind of let it slip we had sex last night." Finn lowered his voice at the last part. Rachel's face looked annoyed, more annoyed than usual.

"You told Brody we had sex, Finn? Why?" Rachel didn't quite seem to understand.

"Because he was trying to say how much he wanted to sleep with you, that's why." Finn answered. "And I was feeling a little upset that he was treating you like a toy. Besides, I need to find a way to stay at NYADA or else Brody's going to charge in and think that he can take you away from me." Rachel's annoyance subsided, realizing that in Finn's mind, he was just trying to protect Rachel. Rachel chuckled, running a hand through his hair.

"Finn, whether we are both at NYADA or not, I chose you." Rachel softly said. "I didn't choose Brody, I chose you, so you need to stop the rivalry between you and Brody and just focus on your studies there. Brody's just psyching you out—and he's not going to get my heart, okay?" Finn continued to look at Rachel, finally holding up his pinky finger in front of her.

"Pinky swear?" Finn put his pinky in front of Rachel, causing her to nod her hand and interlock her pinky with his.

"Yes, pinky swear." Rachel agreed. She then leaned up to kiss Finn, wrapping her legs around his waist, bringing him down towards her. "Now Finn, I believe there's one thing that we have to do."

"And what would that be?" Finn whispered to Rachel, causing her to press her lips to his neck.

"Why don't you show me how much you love me?" Rachel's eyes were full of wanting, needing Finn to come closer to her. Finn didn't hesitate with Rachel's request—that's exactly what he did. He showed her just how much he loved her.

* * *

That evening Rachel suggested the idea that the group go to _Callbacks_ in order to take in the New York scenery together. Although Finn would have rather spent the night with Rachel, he had to admit that he wouldn't want to miss a chance bragging to Brody about how he had gotten Rachel and Brody didn't. So Rachel, Kurt, Finn, Santana, Brittany and Dani (who Santana invited) decided to go to _Callbacks _in order to take in the musical scene. As the group reached _Callbacks, _Finn spotted Brody with some of the other juniors, a thought running through his mind. Finn grabbed Rachel's hand, leading her towards Brody as Rachel gazed at him.

"Finn, what are you doing?" Rachel muttered. Finn walked in front of Brody, seeing Brody staring back at him.

"Brody! Hi!" Finn pretended to sound excited to see Brody. "Whatever are you doing here?!"

"Finn…" Brody faked a smile, staring down at Finn's hand intertwined with Rachel's fingers. He cleared his throat, staring back at Finn and Rachel. "What are you two doing here?"

"We're here to take in some music. Probably sing ourselves, who knows." Finn shrugged his shoulders, pretending to be amicable. "So, I hope you enjoy the show." Finn and Rachel walked away from Brody, noticing that he was fuming. As Rachel and Finn sat down at the table with Kurt, Santana, Brittany and Dani, Rachel couldn't help but chuckle at Finn's gloating. She leaned closer to his ear with a smirk.

"You're enjoying the gloating towards Brody, aren't you?" Rachel whispered. Finn simply kissed Rachel's cheek, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Brittany looked down at her glass of water, noticing that Santana was talking to Dani about their day at work. Brittany held the cup closer to her, feeling a bit insecure about whether or not she could believe that Santana and Dani were just friends. Brittany looked over at the stage, poking Kurt in the shoulder.

"Kurt, are we allowed to sing on the stage?" Brittany wondered.

"Ask Rachel and Finn." Kurt said. "They go to school at NYADA so as long as they say it's fine, then you can."

"Sure Brittany can." Finn nodded his head towards Brittany. Brittany turned to Dani and Santana, an idea whirring in her mind.

"Hey, Santana. Dani. How about we all sing together?" Brittany suggested.

"That sounds like a great idea." Dani clasped her hands together with a grin while Santana raised an eyebrow towards Brittany. What was Brittany getting at? "Wouldn't it be fun if we all sang together Santana?"

"Well, sure. I guess." Santana said after a moment. Brittany, Santana and Dani made their way to the front of the stage as Kurt, Finn and Rachel looked at the stage with interest, wondering what they were going to sing. Santana, Brittany and Dani agreed on a song, looking to the D.J to play the beat. As Brittany, Santana and Dani sang, Brittany felt herself as the third wheel while Dani and Santana took over the song—and Brittany was the backup once again.

_[Brittany]  
Keep rocking, and keep knocking  
Whether you Louis Vuitton-ed it up or Reebok-in  
You see the hate when they serve it on a platter  
So what they going to have, dessert or disaster_

_[Santana]  
I never thought I'd be in love like this  
When I look at you my mind goes on a trip  
Then you came in and knocked me on my face  
Feels like I'm in a race, but I've already won first place_

_{Santana and Dani look at one another with a grin while Brittany begins to notice}_

_[Dani]  
I never thought I'd fall for you as hard as I did  
You got me thinking about our life, a house and kids  
Every morning, I look at you and smile, and ooh you came around  
And then you knocked me down, knocked me down_

_{Santana and Dani look at each other and overpower Brittany's voice, which causes Brittany to be upset}_

_[Dani and Santana with Brittany]  
Sometimes love comes around  
(Santana: Love comes around)  
And it knocks you down  
Just get back up when it knocks you down  
Knocks you down  
Sometimes love comes around  
(Santana: Love comes around)  
And it knocks you down  
Just get back up when it knocks you down_

_{Brittany gets pushed to behind of Dani and Santana as Brittany starts becoming furious, as Rachel and Finn notice from the audience}_

_[Santana]  
So I gotta put the good with the bad  
The happy with the sad  
So I'll bring a better future that I had in the past_

_[Dani]  
Oh cause I don't wanna make the same mistakes I did  
I don't wanna fall flat on my face again  
Whoa, whoa  
I'll admit it I was scared when love answered the call  
Whoa, whoa  
And if it hits better make it worth the fall_

_{Brittany goes in front of Dani and Santana, but realizes that they're still looking at each other and Brittany shakes her head}_

_[Brittany]  
Sometimes love comes around  
(Dani and Santana: Love comes around!)  
And it knocks you down  
Just get back up when it knocks you down  
Knocks you down  
Sometimes love comes around  
(Dani and Santana: Love comes around!)  
And it knocks you down  
Just get back up when it knocks you down  
Knocks you down_

_[Brittany, Santana and Dani]  
Knocks you down_

As the crowd started cheering, Brittany pushed her way past Santana and Dani, heading back to the table with Rachel, Kurt and Finn, which surprised everyone there. Dani looked confused but Santana knew what Brittany was upset about. Santana and Dani made their way back towards the table, causing Finn to think for a moment. As they stared over at Brittany who looked over at her water, Finn let out a small smirk.

"I wanna sing something." Finn made up his mind. Rachel and Kurt nodded their heads, with Finn getting up from the chair and going towards the front of the room. Rachel and Kurt eyed Finn, noticing that he was sitting in front of the piano that was on the stage. He looked over to the crowd and started to play a few keys, causing Rachel and Kurt to look with interest.

"I didn't know Finn could play the piano." Kurt whispered to Rachel.

"I didn't know Finn could play the piano either." Rachel whispered back as Finn continued to play the piano, staring out at Santana and Brittany as he continued to play.

_[Finn]  
You take the clothes off my back  
And I let you  
You steal the food right out my mouth  
And I watch you eat it  
I still don't know why I love you so much  
Oh  
You curse my name  
In spite to put me to shame  
Have my laundry in the streets  
Dirty or clean  
Give it up for fame  
But I still don't know why  
I love it so much_

_And baby, it's amazing I'm in this maze for you  
I just can't crack your code  
One day you're screaming you love me loud  
The next day you're so cold  
One day you're here, one day you're there, one day you care  
You're so unfair, sipping from your cup  
Till it runneth over, Holy Grail_

_{Finn gets up from the piano as the beat picks up and all the girls start screaming in glee at him, excluding Brittany who continues to stare at Santana and Dani in sadness}_

_{Finn]  
And we're all just entertainers  
And we're stupid, and contagious  
And we're all just entertainers_

_{Someone tosses Finn a porkpie hat and he puts it on his head, winking at Rachel as he continues to sing}_

_[Finn]  
And baby, it's amazing I'm in this maze for you  
I just can't crack your code  
One day you're screaming you love me loud  
The next day you're so cold  
One day you're here, one day you're there, one day you care  
You're so unfair, sipping from your cup  
Till it runneth over, Holy Grail_

_You get the air out of my lungs  
Whenever you need it  
And you take the blade right out of my heart  
So you can watch me bleed it out  
I still don't know why  
Why I love you so much, yeah  
And you play this game  
In spite to drive me insane  
I got it tattooed on my sleeve forever in ink  
With guess who's name  
But I still don't know why  
Why I love it so much!_

_{Everyone in _Callbacks_ starts waving their hands in the air as Finn smiles at them}_

_And baby, it's amazing I'm in this maze for you  
I just can't crack your code  
One day you're screaming you love me loud  
The next day you're so cold  
One day you're here, one day you're there, one day you care  
You're so unfair, sipping from your cup  
Till it runneth over, Holy Grail_

The crowd at _Callbacks _(minus Brody and Brittany) erupted into cheers as Finn tossed the porkpie hat back to the kid who handed it to him. Finn's eyes focused on Rachel, wondering what she thought about the performance. Rachel's smile was so bright that you wouldn't need a light bulb to light up the room. It made Finn feel so proud of the fact that he had the admiration of Rachel and the rest of the NYADA bar. It was sure to be a performance that everyone would remember for as long Finn attended NYADA. Finn went down the stairs, walking over to Rachel and sat down next to her, hoping to hear her say something. All she did was smile at him; finally running a hand through his hair and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"I was good?" Finn questioned as Rachel nodded.

"You were _amazing_ Mr. Hudson." Rachel gushed, pressing a kiss on Finn's lips. Finn parted his lips from Rachel's with Kurt looking at the both of them with a small smile on his face. Kurt's smile faltered when he saw Brody walk over to Finn and Rachel, the both of them raising an eyebrow in suspicion as Brody crossed his arms.

"Well Finn that was…something." Brody cleared his throat. "Well, this year is going to be rather interesting, isn't it?"

"What makes you say that?" Finn's smile faltered from his face, still looking up at Brody.

"Finn, that was good but to be at NYADA you need to be the best." Brody's face expression turned smug as he continued. "And frankly, I don't think that you are with the best of the best here. You're out of your league Finn and Carmen Tibideaux is going to see right through you and she's going to crush you."

"All right, that's it." Rachel finally said, looking up at Brody. "Brody, I don't know what your problem with Finn is but as long as we're going to be friends, it needs to stop. Finn got into NYADA because he is the best of the best. There's nothing denying that. Finn has had musical training for three years and that must have meant something when she heard Finn sing for his audition. Now, Finn's going to be fine at his Freshman Reaping along with all the other Freshman and he's going to stay at NYADA. End of discussion." Brody continued to stare at Rachel, finally nodding his head.

"You're right and I'm sorry." Brody said to Rachel, keeping his eyes away from Finn. "If Finn really is as good as you say, then he must be good for NYADA…but are you sure that Finn is good enough for _you_? I mean, you are super talented and your talent will probably overshadow him, and then he'll feel unwanted. If you're with someone who has the same talents as you, then you won't have to worry about that. That's all I'm saying." Brody walked away from Rachel and Finn, leaving Finn in thought. What if Brody was right and Finn wasn't good enough to keep Rachel. Heck, Finn might not be good enough for NYADA. That left Finn with a lot of thinking to do, and Rachel knew that Brody's words had finally gotten to him.

* * *

Brittany sat in the guest room of the loft, putting the last bit of her belongings in her backpack. She was heading off to the airport tomorrow in order to catch a flight back to Lima, but the catch was she didn't want to tell Santana she was leaving. She could see that Santana was so happy here, and the last thing she wanted to do was get in the way of Santana and her new friendship with Dani. Brittany had a feeling that Santana had a thing for Dani. Brittany was stupid but not _that_ stupid. She knew that there was something going on. As Brittany continued to sit on the bed, she didn't notice Kurt walking in the bedroom, staring right at her.

"So you're leaving for Lima tomorrow?" Kurt wondered. Brittany stared over at Kurt, nodding her head slowly. Kurt sat down on the bed, putting his hand in Brittany's. "What's wrong unicorn? You seem a little down."

"Do you think Santana and Dani are just friends?" Brittany asked. Kurt looked over at Brittany, considering her question. He tried to find a way to answer it. Brittany knew that there was something going on with Santana and Dani and from his observation, he knew there was something going on as well.

"Well…" Kurt started to answer Brittany until he let out a sigh. "I think that there could be something going on between them. They are rather close."

"Yeah, they're as close as Santana and I used to be." Brittany glumly added. "What am I going to do Kurt? I don't want to lose Santana but it feels like I am losing Santana." Kurt gave Brittany a sympathetic look. He didn't want to say what he had to say, but he knew that Brittany was going to have to hear it.

"In my honest opinion, Brittany…you're going to have to let Santana go." Kurt softly said. "I know it's hard and I know you love her so much…but Santana seems to be happier with someone else. It sucks when people do that to you, I know…but you don't need Santana to define your life."

"That's just it, Kurt. Santana _does_ define my life. The last four years we spent together defines something, Santana and I being in the Glee club together meant something…Santana was my life Kurt." Brittany said.

"And she can still be in your life." Kurt placed his hands on Brittany's shoulders as she stared at him with tears in her eyes. "I just don't think that she can be in your life as your girlfriend right now. You have so much love to give Brittany and that's a beautiful, wonderful thing. Right now though, the only one that needs to be happy in your life is you. You need to make yourself feel more empowered, you have to let the world know that you are Brittany S. Pierce and that you are the best damn cheerleader on the Cheerios. You have to let them know you're a unicorn, that you are special. They gotta hear you roar, Brittany. The whole world does. And if Santana doesn't want to hear about it or doesn't care about your feelings then you need to take a step back and let her know that what she's doing is bothering you. Then you'd have to let her go and live your life the way you want to live it. No one deserves to be in a relationship where the other person doesn't love you as much as you love them." Brittany wiped the tears that were falling from her face as Kurt stared at her. "Are you going to be okay, Britt?" After a moment of silence, Brittany nodded her head, a smile appearing on her face.

"Thank you for talking to me Kurt." Brittany hugged Kurt tightly as Kurt smiled back. "I know what I have to do now." Kurt patted Brittany's shoulder, getting up from her bed to head out the door. Brittany waved to Kurt as Kurt waved back with a smile, finally descending the hallway towards his room. Brittany looked down at the picture of her and Santana on her phone, feeling the newfound confidence that Kurt instilled in her. Brittany deleted the photo.

* * *

The next afternoon, Finn sat in the NYADA auditorium, staring down at the papers that were in his hand. He had to memorize a song for the Freshman Reaping towards the end of the semester and Carmen Tibideaux gave the entire freshman class a list of songs they could choose from, but they weren't limited to them. It was just to give them a brain spark and realize the kind of music she wanted to hear. Finn heard the auditorium door open and close, causing Finn to turn around and see who it was. Finn's eyes widened a bit, seeing Rachel walking down the auditorium ramp looking different. She had gone through with her makeover. Her black romper with the black studded belt buckles and knee high boots screamed New York. Her hair had ombre highlights in it, ridding her from the one-dimensional brown color. She even wore mascara and eyeliner. Finn continued to look at her, seeing that she was slightly nervous about what he was going to say. Rachel bit her lip, still looking at him.

"So what do you think?" Rachel asked after a moment of silence. Finn got up from the seat, walking over to her while putting his hands around her waist. He pressed his forehead to hers, giving her a kiss on her lips. After a moment, Finn pulled away, admiring her.

"You look so beautiful, Rachel." Finn whispered. "You always were beautiful. Even when we were in the 10th grade and you freaked me out a bit. I always thought you were special and the most beautiful girl in the world." Rachel continued to look at Finn as he brought one of his hands from her waist to brush her cheek with his thumb. "You always will look beautiful in my eyes. No matter what." Rachel used one of her hands to clutch onto Finn's shirt, looking at him with a small grin.

"Even if I shave my whole head and wore a sack, you'd still think I'm beautiful?" Rachel wondered. Finn nodded his head as soon as she asked the question, pulling her in for a sweet kiss.

"Even then you would still be beautiful." Finn mumbled against her lips. Rachel felt tears come to her eyes, a joyous smile appearing on her face. Rachel led Finn to the chairs in the auditorium as she folded her hands together. "What, is something wrong?" Finn was beginning to feel uneasy.

"Well, after I got my makeover…I went to the tattoo parlor and I got a small tiny tattoo." Rachel looked at him. "I thought about what you said, you know, taking my time to make sure that I wanted one…and I finally realized I did want one. It's really small, but I think you're going to like it." Rachel took off her left boot, and then put her foot in Finn's lap as he stared over at her ankle. It was a tiny tattoo but the meaning of the tattoo was what had Finn speechless. He saw a heart and inside the heart was the small words "R.B + F.H". Finn looked back up at Rachel, seeing that she was smiling at him.

"You got my initials tattooed on your ankle?" Finn's breath sounded a bit winded, still looking at the tattoo. "Rachel…"

"Finn…look, when we fight it leaves me feeling so upset because I don't like to fight with you. I like to be with you. I like to be in your good graces because that's when I have the most fun with you. I'd do anything for you Finn and I just know in my heart that we're going to be together forever. Whatever life may throw at us, we can get through it together. If it was meant to be, then it was meant to be…and I believe it's meant to be." Finn leaned over and pressed a kiss on Rachel's lips, turning the kiss from sweet and beautiful to passionate and sensual. Finn broke the kiss, staring at Rachel with a grin.

"We will be together until the end of time." Finn promised. "Because no matter what happens in life, in the end, we're going to be together." Rachel grinned, putting a hand on Finn's cheek. She noticed he looked a bit distracted again as she let out a sigh.

"You're not taking what Brody said to heart, are you Finn?" Rachel probed. Finn thought about answering her question, finally nodding his head.

"I am sort of. What if I'm not good for NYADA?" Finn looked away from her, not wanting to think about him being a failure. Rachel put her boot back on, then led Finn over to the stage. As Finn climbed the steps, and stared out, he wondered what Rachel was possibly getting at. "What are we doing up here?"

"Because you love the stage, Finn." Rachel said. "When you're on here you are as confident as ever. I saw what you did at _Callbacks_ last night. You blew everyone away because you were having fun up there. If everyone can love what you did last night, then there's no doubt that Carmen Tibideaux is going to love what you're going to do during Freshman Reaping. You may not sing like you're on Broadway…but you do sing with heart and passion, just like everyone else that goes here. Now I want us to sing together because you need to see how amazing you are. There's no one like you Finn...and when I say that I want to be a part of something special because it makes you special…you are special. Being with you is a part of something special. It doesn't have to be just Glee Club. It also applies to you."

"You really think so?" Finn grabbed Rachel's hand, giving her a small smirk. Rachel nodded her head, intertwining her fingers with his.

"I know so." Rachel pulled Finn to the middle of the stage as she turned to the NYADA orchestra. "Now come on Finn…let this empty audience hear you ROAR!"

_{Music starts playing and Rachel looks at Finn as she sings}_

_[Rachel]  
I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath  
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess  
So I sat quietly, agreed politely  
I guess I forgot I had a choice  
I let you push me past the breaking point  
I stood for nothing  
So I fell for everything_

_You held me down but I got up  
Already brushing off the dust  
You hear my voice, you hear that sound  
Like thunder gonna shake your ground_

_[Rachel with Finn]  
You held me down but I got up  
Get ready cause I had enough  
I see it all, I see it now_

_[Rachel and Finn]  
I got the eye of the tiger, the fighter  
Dancing through the fire  
Cause I am a champion  
And you're gonna hear me roar  
Louder, louder than a lion  
Cause I am a champion  
And you're gonna hear me roa-oh-oh-oh-oar  
Roa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oar  
Roa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oar  
Yeah you're gonna hear me roar_

_{Scene changes to Brittany writing on a piece of paper in the loft as she looks over at Santana's room, shaking her head}_

_[Brittany]  
Now I'm floating like a butterfly  
Stinging like a bee, I've earned my stripes  
I went from zero, to my own hero_

_You held me down but I got up  
Already brushing off the dust  
You hear my voice, you hear that sound  
Like thunder gonna shake your ground_

_You held me down but I got up  
Get ready cause I've had enough  
I see it all I see it now_

_{Scene splits between Brittany leaving the loft, reaching the streets with her rolling suitcase with a smile on her face with Rachel and Finn singing on stage smiling at one another}_

_[Brittany, Rachel and Finn]  
I got the eye of the tiger, the fighter  
Dancing through the fire  
Cause I am a champion  
And you're gonna hear me roar  
Louder, louder than a lion  
Cause I am a champion  
And you're gonna hear me roa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oar  
Roa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oar  
Roa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oar  
Yeah you're gonna hear me r roa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oar  
Roa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oar (Rachel: Yeah you're gonna hear me roar!)  
Roa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oar_

_{Scene goes to Santana at the loft as she sees the note Brittany left, reading the note and looking shocked as the song is in the background}_

_[Rachel]  
Roar-or, Roar-or, Roar-or, Roar-or, OH!_

_{Scene goes back to the NYADA auditorium as Rachel and Finn sing on stage with a smile}_

_[Rachel, Finn and Brittany]  
I got the eye of the tiger, the fighter  
Dancing through the fire  
Cause I am a champion  
And you're gonna hear me roar  
Louder, louder than a lion  
Cause I am a champion  
And you're gonna hear me roa-oh-oh-oh-oar  
Roa-oh-oh-oh-oar  
Roa-oh-oh-oh-oar  
Yeah you're gonna hear me roar!_

_{Scene ends with Finn hugging Rachel and pressing a kiss on her lips as she smiles up at him}_

* * *

Brody walked along the halls of NYADA late that evening when every student went home, hoping that the person that he summoned in the dance hall would be there. As Brody turned the corner into the dance studio, he saw the person that he wanted to speak with, entering the room with sudden nervousness.

"If you're going to say something then you better say it." The person said in the shadows while stretching. "I can smell your fear—and I think your onion pizza for lunch."

"Right, um…I have a problem and you're the only one that can help me here." Brody said. "You see I have my eye on Rachel Berry but that stupid Finn Hudson keeps getting in the way! I needed a plan on how to break them up so I can get Rachel for myself—but it's not going to be easy. I need your help since you have been known to break up relationships before…so…what do you say Cassie?" Out of the shadows appeared Cassandra July, the NYADA dance teacher, giving Brody a sinister smirk. She stood silent for a minute, finally nodding her head towards the junior.

"What would I have to do?"

* * *

_**GUEST STARRING**_

_**Heater Morris as Brittany S. Pierce**_

_**Demi Lovato as Dani**_

_**Dean Geyer as Brody Weston**_

_**Kate Hudson as Cassandra July**_

_**SONG(S):**_

_**Knock You Down (Originally by Keri Hilson feat. Kanye West & Ne-Yo): Performed by Brittany Pierce, Santana Lopez and Dani**_

_**Holy Grail (Originally by Jay-Z feat. Justin Timberlake [Justin Timberlake Solo]): Performed by Finn Hudson**_

_**Roar (Originally by Katy Perry): Performed by Rachel Berry, Finn Hudson and Brittany Pierce**_


	5. 1x05: Can't Hold Us

_**Episode Synopsis: **As an extracurricular activity, Finn joins the NYADA Glee Club. But, after the kids want him to lead the club, he finds himself butting heads with the stubborn yet mysterious Vicky (**Victoria Justice**). Rachel finds herself at odds with her dance teacher Cassandra July (**Kate Hudson**) and begins to question her friendship with Brody after he doesn't defend her in class._

**_Absent:_**_ Chris Colfer as Kurt Hummel, Naya Rivera as Santana Lopez_

**_Disclaimer: _**_I do not own Glee but I wish I did! Enjoy the episode!_

* * *

{_Finn walks along the hallways of NYADA as the see's all the clubs that there are to sign up for}_

_**Finn Voice Over:**_

_NYADA has been really great to me so far and I'm not sure if it's because I've gotten the hang of it or if it's because Rachel is here with me. But I really want to do something with my extra time here. I don't want to go to classes, then go straight home and rely on Rachel to keep me entertained. I want to do something with my spare time. Rachel decided to take up an afterschool dance class so it could prepare her for her second semester. And when she told me about it last night after round 3 of our lovemaking, that's when I realized, I needed to do something too. But the question was, what was I going to do? There were so many choices that were interesting, and not enough time. So I decided that I was going to take a look at the clubs list. _

_{Finn gets to the list and starts reading the long list of clubs}_

_Hmm, let's see. We do have Wrestling, although I'm not sure that I could do that. I think if I tried to wrestle then I would break all my bones. Ballet. I don't want the entire student body thinking I'm gay because I took ballet as an afterschool class instead of it being mandated. Theatre. And wear the darkish costumes and get on that stage with the chance of people hurling tomatoes at me? No thanks. Hmm, what class should I pick?_

"Hey you!" Finn was knocked out of his thoughts by a girl who was walking over to him with a piece of paper and pen. "Why don't you try out for the Glee Club. It's exclusive and amazing!" Finn continued to stare at the girl, not seeming convinced.

_**Finn Voice Over: **_

_Did she seriously want me to join the NYADA Glee Club? I mean sure, McKinley had the Glee Club and I was in it, but that was different. I'm in college now, not a high school student who had no direction of his life. Then again, it did sound like it would be fun. And Rachel would be so excited to hear that I was going to be in a Glee Club again. She loved Glee Club. It's what helped her get into NYADA. So I thought to myself, why not. Why not take that chance and get off on the right foot? That would help. It would also give me a chance to meet other kids here in a musical environment. _

"Sure, I'll join." Finn's smile widened as he took the girls paper and signed it. He only saw three names on the paper, but it didn't really bother him. Maybe it was as exclusive as the girl said it would. Finn handed the paper back to the girl as she ran along to find more recruiters. Yep, Finn was going to be in Glee Club again. It was almost as if history was going to repeat itself.

* * *

Finn entered the apartment that afternoon to find Rachel sitting at the kitchen table, filling out some forms. Finn wanted to ask what the forms were about, but when he saw how stressed she was, he thought against it. Instead, Finn walked over to her and sat down in the seat next to Rachel. Rachel looked up to see Finn still staring at her, causing her to give him a small grin.

"Hey you." Rachel smiled then looked back down to the papers in frustration. Finn wrapped his arms around Rachel, looking down at what had Rachel so frazzled.

"You're filling out waivers for dance class?" Finn elevated an eyebrow.

"Apparently Cassandra July's class is tough. I just don't want to put the school of NYADA in danger because of me slipping and falling." Rachel said. Finn nodded his head, still observing the papers.

"So Rachel, I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute." Finn said, sounding practically motivated. Rachel looked to Finn, folding her hands on the table, seeing that he was as giddy as a little kid entering a candy store was. "So, I decided to go and find a club for me to join at NYADA since you're doing your dance class afterschool and I won't be alone. I think I found the perfect one."

"Finn, I'm so proud of you." Rachel rubbed Finn's shoulder, giving him a grin. "You found something to do all by yourself. See, I knew you weren't lost. Now, tell me, what club did you join? Did you join the theatre or did you join fencing? I mean there were so many options!"

"Better than all those." Finn said. "I joined the Glee Club!" Rachel's smile vanished, still staring at Finn, hoping that he was joking. Finn realized Rachel's stare, noticing that she wasn't quite happy with his choice. "Is something wrong with the Glee Club? I mean…we used to do Glee Club when we were in high school."

"I know we did…" Rachel nodded her head, taking his hand. "But that was in high school, Finn. We're in college now. I mean, why you joined the NYADA Glee Club? They're not that good…at all."

"Neither were we." Finn explained. "And look at us now. We were on a Glee Club that won a National Championship! I mean, there's nothing better than that."

"Well…are you sure that this is what you want?" Rachel asked. Finn didn't even have to think twice. He nodded his head, causing Rachel to release a moan. "I'm still very proud of you, and I hope the Glee Club does well." Rachel kissed Finn softly before turning back to her papers.

"If we do make it to a competition, will you come and watch?" Finn wondered. Rachel stared at Finn once more, nodding her head.

"For you, anything." Rachel grinned. Rachel put the papers in the envelope, moving into Finn's lap as she sat down with a smile. "You're going to do great. I know you will."

"It's not the Glee Club, I'm worried about." Finn smiled. "I mean, the girl that was in the club seemed nice and they look very motivated."

"That's nice and all, Finn…but have you heard them sing?" Rachel questioned. Finn thought for a minute, shaking his head.

"No, I haven't, but they can't be that bad, I mean after all…they are in Glee Club…"

* * *

Finn sat in his auditorium seat absolutely mortified. The four kids that were in the Glee Club started to sing Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" but they weren't on the right key; they weren't even singing together. All of them wanted to be the star of the Glee Club, reminding Finn of someone he knew very well. The only difference was Rachel had extreme talent. These kids couldn't compare to Rachel's vocals. Finn covered his ears as they screeched throughout the chorus. Finally, he got up from the chair and slammed the radio, causing the music to shut off and the four kids to stare over at him. Finn looked to them, the four students staring back at him.

"All right, that was…" Finn tried to find some nice words to say, realizing that he couldn't. "That was terrible. If my girlfriend heard you do that to that Journey song, she'd faint and probably wouldn't wake up until I found a pack of gold star stickers somewhere."

"Really? We were bad?" One of the girls sounded timid as she looked over to Finn. Finn nodded his head sympathetically.

"Yeah, that kind of sucked." Finn put his hands in his pockets. "Look, I get that you like this kind of music but you have to find a song that's right for your voice. You can't sing every song that's out there because it's not going to fit you."

"And what do you know about Glee Club?" One of the girls crossed her arms, giving Finn an attitude. "I mean, you signed up for this club, so why are you even here critiquing us?"

"I'm critiquing you because I know what good singing sounds like. All right, I know exactly what it's supposed to sound like. What you guys did…wasn't even good singing. A bear wouldn't want to eat you if he heard you sing like that." Finn hated being brutally honest, but if there was any shot of Rachel seeing this Glee Club in action, then he was going to have to whip them into shape.

"Right and you know about being in a successful Glee Club, how?" The girl smirked. Finn could see this girl was going to be a problem. "I mean, you don't know the first thing about being in a Glee Club, do you?"

"Actually I was in a successful Glee club in high school…um…what is your name?" Finn pointed towards the girl.

"Vicky Martinez." The boy answered for Vicky. Vicky stared over at the boy, causing him to move a step to the side.

"Vicky…right." Finn sighed. "I was in a Glee Club that went to Nationals two years in a row. We won last year."

"What happened to the year before?" The timid girl questioned Finn.

"We're not going to go into details about that." Finn quickly brushed off, still staring at Vicky. "I know a thing or two about being in a Glee Club. So, if you don't like the way that I critique, I could walk out of that door right now and find another club to join."

"If you're such a hot shot, why don't you sing for us?" Vicky crossed her arms, giving Finn a look. "I mean after all you were a 'national champion'." Finn appreciated the challenge as he got on the stage with a smirk.

"Fine, I will sing for you. And if you like the way I sing after the performance then you'd have to shut up." Finn answered. They looked at Finn as they took a seat in the chairs. Just as Finn was about to sing, Rachel entered the auditorium, walking towards him with a grin. She noticed the other Glee Club members, stopping in her tracks. The other members noticed Rachel, causing her to feel slightly awkward about walking into their rehearsal. "Rachel, hey. What are you doing here?"

"Um…I was going to come and tell you that my class was cancelled today and that I was going to head home…" Rachel walked forward towards the stage, looking at the Glee Club. "But since you're here on stage about to sing for your friends, I figured why not join in the fun."

"We're not his friends." Vicky snarled at Rachel. Finn gave a glare over to Vicky as the other Glee Club members gave Vicky an uneasy glance.

"Rachel, since you're here…why don't we both sing for the Glee kids?" Finn suggested. Rachel stuffed her hands in her jean pockets, looking at Finn. "I mean we were an awesome team during High School, weren't we?" Rachel nodded her head with a smile, getting on stage with Finn. As they both eyed one another, Finn turned to the Glee kids with a smirk. "Hey…kid, press play." Finn motioned to the boy. The boy pressed the play button on the radio, and then Finn and Rachel filled the auditorium with their harmonious voices.

_[Finn]  
I know your insides are feeling so hollow  
And it's a hard pill for you to swallow_

_[Rachel]  
But if I fall for you, I'd never recover  
If I fall for you, I'll never be the same_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
I really wanna love somebody  
I really wanna dance the night away  
I know we're only halfway there  
But you take me all the way  
You take me all the way  
I really wanna touch somebody  
I think about you every single day  
I know we're only halfway there  
But you take me all the way  
You take me all the way_

_[Finn]  
You're such a hard act for me to follow  
Love me today, don't leave me tomorrow_

_[Rachel]  
But if I fall for you, I'd never recover  
If I fall for you, I'll never be the same_

_[Finn and Rachel with the NYADA Glee Club]  
I really wanna love somebody  
I really wanna dance the night away  
I know we're only halfway there  
But you take me all the way  
You take me all the way  
I really wanna touch somebody  
I think about you every single day  
I know we're only halfway there  
But you take me all the way  
You take me all the way_

_Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, Oh, Oh, Oh  
Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, Oh, Oh, Oh_

_[Finn]  
I don't know where to start  
I'm just a little lost  
I wanna feel like we're never gonna ever gonna stop_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
I don't know what to do  
I'm right in front of you  
I'm asking you to stay  
You should stay, stay, stay  
Stay with me tonight! (Finn: Yeah!)_

_[Finn and Rachel with the NYADA Glee Club]  
I really wanna love somebody  
I really wanna dance the night away  
I know we're only halfway there  
But you take me all the way  
You take me all the way  
I really wanna touch somebody  
I think about you every single day  
I know we're only halfway there  
But you take me all the way  
You take me all the way_

_Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, Oh, Oh, Oh  
Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, Oh, Oh, Oh_

_[Finn]  
You take me all the way  
You take me all the way, yeah_

The kids that were in the auditorium became in awe of Rachel and Finn. However, Vicky was unconvinced. There was something that she didn't like about Finn, she just wasn't sure what it was. The other three members of the Glee Club walked over to Finn and Rachel, looking at Finn as if he was some sort of a god. Finn turned to Rachel, still unsure whether he was supposed to say something. Rachel simply gave Finn a smile, seeing that they were so intrigued with him.

"Wow, that was amazing Finn!" The boy answered, still gaping at Finn.

"Gee, thanks." Finn smiled. "I'm glad you liked it." Finn focused his attention to Vicky but realized that she wasn't interested in even staring at Finn. Finn didn't know what he did wrong to get on the wrong foot with Vicky, but he knew that he had to try and attempt to see what was wrong.

"Finn, look…we stink." The shy girl told him. "And we don't know how we're going to get this Glee Club into shape."

"Yeah, we're a laughing stock to the entire school." The boy added. "No one wants to join the Glee Club."

"We need someone to lead us." The second girl said. "I mean, you're a champion in High School…why can't you lead our club?"

"Yeah, that's a great idea!" The boy agreed. "Finn could lead the Glee Club."

"But if Finn is going to lead then we're going to need a killer name for our Glee Club." The girl turned to her Glee Club members, staring back at Finn.

"So what should we call ourselves?" The boy wondered, everyone staring back at Finn as if Finn had the answer.

"Look, I just joined the club today. I don't have any idea." Finn put his hands up in defense. Everyone continued to stare at Finn until the boy came up with an idea.

"I got it! Since Finn is the star of the Glee Club, we can call it…_the Finn Harmonic!_" The boy snapped his fingers while Rachel stared blankly at the boy.

"The Finn Harmonic?" Rachel crossed her arms, still staring at him.

"Yeah, the Finn Harmonic. Kind of like the Philharmonic. Instead of Phil…Finn." The boy looked to Finn who was rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"All right, the Finn Harmonic sounds good…if everyone agrees to it." Finn noticed the other members nodding their head vigorously. Finn looked up to Vicky, but she simply turned away from Finn. Finn let out a sigh, turning to the other members and grinned from ear to ear. "All right, the Finn Harmonic. I like it. Now, first order of business…I need your names because I've been here for 45 minutes and I still don't know any of your names, well except for Vicky."

"Oh that should be easy." The girls walked over to Rachel and Finn holding out their hands. "I'm Melissa Stewart and that's Celina Jones."

"I'm Dustin Shafer." Dustin shook Finn's hand with a grin. "Can't wait to work with you to bring this Glee Club into shape."

"Yeah, I can't wait either…" Finn was still a little winded about the fact that they named the Glee Club after him. They couldn't be serious. Finn was going to be the leader of a Glee Club, kind of like his mentor Mr. Schuester. This was all so surreal.

* * *

Finn took Rachel to a Broadway Diner after Glee Club finished in order to eat a dinner with just the two of them. With Kurt working at Vogue and Santana working at the art gallery, that meant Finn and Rachel would have to find food for themselves. As Rachel and Finn sat in one of the booths of the diner, Finn looked at the menu, humming slightly while Rachel couldn't help but chuckle at him. Finn stopped his humming, then focused on Rachel's smile.

"What?" Finn sounded a bit amused.

"It's nothing, nothing…" Rachel shook her head, putting her hand in Finn's. "It's just that…I never thought you out of all people would take over the NYADA Glee Club. I thought that they would have had a director."

"You know, I would have thought that too." Finn said as he stared into Rachel's eyes. "Thanks for helping me today. I know that your dance class was cancelled but…it was nice that you helped."

"You're welcome." Rachel smiled warmly towards him. "I think it's kind of funny though."

"What's kind of funny?" Finn raised an eyebrow to Rachel, not sure what she was getting at.

"You're like Mr. Schuester." Rachel shrugged her shoulders. "I mean, you're leading a Glee Club to at least the College Sectionals. But, you need to know that it's not as easy as when we were in High School. Leading these outcasts are going to be tough, but I know that you're the right man for the job."

"Wait, so they're outcasts as well?" Finn's eyes widened. "Wow, it totally mirrors high school…except you're not pretending that you're pregnant and we're not married."

"I don't know Finn; I think we could get married one day." Rachel slyly grinned at him. Finn let out a smile towards her, bringing her hand to his lips as he kissed it.

"I hope that's true then." Finn then noticed that Rachel was simply looking down at her menu, realizing that she was a bit distracted. "Hey, are you okay?" Rachel looked up to see Finn's concerned face, wondering if she should tell Finn what was on her mind.

"Dance class wasn't cancelled." Rachel admitted, still staring into Finn's eyes. Finn wasn't sure what Rachel was talking about, becoming more confused. "I left the class on my own."

"What?" Finn leaned closer, staring at Rachel with interest. "What happened? Did Brody do something to you?"

"Well, it was also Cassandra July, the dance teacher…" Rachel ran a hand through her hair. Finn got up from his side of the booth and sat next to Rachel, wrapping an arm around her and pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" Finn softly questioned. Rachel pondered, finally nodding her head as she began to tell the story.

* * *

**Rachel's Voice Over:**

_It started as a normal dance class. I mean, Cassandra July never really bothered me before during the afterschool dance sessions but today was different. For one thing, Brody decided to join our class, something he never did. I had to wonder if maybe he was sleeping with Cassandra since they were unusually close. Her taunting started as we started dancing around the room. I felt pretty good about my dancing, I thought I was doing great…until… _

"WAIT!" Cassandra stopped the whole class, staring right at Rachel who was confused as to why she was the center of attention. Cassandra walked over to Rachel, doing circles around her, causing her to release a sigh. "So…you must be little miss big star…" Cassandra looked right into Rachel's eyes, seeing that she was shocked. Rachel didn't think she was better than anyone in this classroom. NYADA was different from McKinley.

"I don't think I'm a big star…" Rachel shook her head, trying to get Cassandra to stop focusing on her.

"Really?" Cassandra raised an eyebrow. "Because from what I've been hearing about you, you think that you're some hot shot. So you were able to convince Carmen Tibideaux that you were some type of special child and deserved another chance. I heard all about that. You think that you're special. Well, I don't know what anyone and especially your boyfriend Frankenteen has been telling you, but you're not special."

"I didn't come here to be special." Rachel firmly told Cassandra. "I came here to be the best." Cassandra gave a smug chuckle and walked around Rachel with interest.

"You think you're so tough, don't you." Cassandra shook her head, her face turning stone cold. "Well I'm the toughest bitch around here and if you don't like it, too bad for you." Rachel crossed her arms, beginning to feel a little hurt. Why was Rachel being the one that was picked on? Rachel turned her head to Brody, hoping that he would say something, but instead he just looked quietly towards Cassandra. Rachel looked back to Cassandra, seeing that she was walking away from her, but headed towards the radio. "You think you're hot stuff Schwimmer? Let me see how you dance. Me. You. Right now." Rachel didn't want to look like one of those girls that weren't going to stand up for themselves, so she nodded her head and walked over to the middle of the room. "Well, let's see what you got." Cassandra pressed play on the machine and it was on: Rachel vs. Cassandra.

_{Cassandra grabs some NYADA dancers as she starts dancing with them, giving Rachel snide glares}_

_[Cassandra]  
I stand here waiting  
For you to bang the gong  
To crash the critics saying  
is it right or is it wrong  
If only fame had an IV  
Baby could I bare  
Being away from you  
I found the vein, put it here_

_I live for the applause, applause, applause  
I live for the applause, plause  
Live for the applause, plause  
Live for the way that you cheer and scream for me  
The applause, applause, applause_

_Give me the thing that I love (I'll turn the lights out)  
Put your hands up make them touch (Make it real loud)  
Give me the thing that I love (I'll turn the lights out)  
Put your hands up make them touch (Make it real loud)  
A-P-P-L-A-U-S-E (Make it real loud)  
Put your hands up make them touch, touch  
A-P-P-L-A-U-S-E (Make it real loud)  
Put your hands up make them touch, touch_

_{Rachel grabs a couple of dancers and starts dancing as she releases a smirk towards Cassandra}_

_[Rachel]  
I overheard your theory  
Nostalgia's for geeks  
I guess sir if you say so  
Some of us just like to read  
One second I'm a Koons  
And suddenly the Koons is me  
Pop culture was an art  
Now, art's in pop culture in me_

_I live for the applause, applause, applause  
I live for the applause, plause  
Live for the applause, plause  
Live for the way that you cheer and scream for me  
The applause, applause, applause_

_[Cassandra and Rachel with NYADA dance students]  
Give me the thing that I love (I'll turn the lights out)  
Put your hands up make them touch (Make it real loud)  
Give me the thing that I love (I'll turn the lights out)  
Put your hands up make them touch (Make it real loud)  
A-P-P-L-A-U-S-E (Make it real loud)  
Put your hands up make them touch, touch  
A-P-P-L-A-U-S-E (Make it real loud)  
Put your hands up make them touch, touch_

_[Rachel]  
Touch, touch  
Touch, touch_

_[Cassandra]  
I live for the applause, applause, applause  
I live for the applause, plause  
Live for the applause, plause  
Live for the way that you cheer and scream for me  
The applause, applause, applause_

_{The entire NYADA dance studio starts dancing as Cassandra and Rachel stare at each other}_

_[Rachel and Cassandra]  
Give me the thing that I love (I'll turn the lights out)  
Put your hands up make them touch (Make it real loud)  
Give me the thing that I love (I'll turn the lights out)  
Put your hands up make them touch (Make it real loud)  
A-P-P-L-A-U-S-E (Make it real loud)  
Put your hands up make them touch, touch  
A-P-P-L-A-U-S-E (Make it real loud)  
Put your hands up make them touch, touch_

_A-R-T-P-O-P_

_{Cassandra trips Rachel and Rachel falls to the floor as some of the other dancers start to laugh}_

Rachel stared up at Cassandra, realizing that Cassandra was the one that had tripped her, trying to process what exactly was going on here. Cassandra looked down at Rachel, simply shaking her head.

"Welcome to Dance101 Schwimmer. We're going to have _so_ much fun all year." Cassandra got up from her position and went to teach the other students, leaving Rachel on the ground, feeling as sick as ever and worst of all—alone.

* * *

As soon as Rachel finished telling her story to Finn, she felt a couple of tears stream down her face, wiping them to prevent her makeup from smudging. Finn felt anger course through his body, realizing that Cassandra made a fool out of Rachel—and Brody did nothing to stop her.

"That _bitch!_" Finn exclaimed, causing Rachel to turn to him in shock. She had never heard Finn use that type of language, but seeing that he was upset probably was what caused a lapse in judgment. "So Brody did nothing to help you? Some friend _he _is."

"Finn, you seem mad." Rachel winced slightly.

"Damn right I'm mad." Finn shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "Who gave Cassandra a job?! I mean I know she's unbearable but to embarrass you in front of the entire class?! I'm gonna find Brody, beat the crap out of him, find Cassandra and then make her wish that she was never born."

"Finn you can't do that." Rachel shook her head to him, trying to take his face into her hands. "I know you're mad, but you can't do that. Cassandra is your teacher. She can fail you just for saying the wrong thing. Finn, I am begging you please do not do something that you are going to regret. I don't need this to be a Sue Sylvester, Mr. Schuester feud at NYADA. Besides, I don't want you to get into any trouble. This isn't worth it."

"Yes this is worth it, Rachel." Finn became serious. "Because she embarrassed _you_ in front of everyone. Don't you _dare_ believe a word Cassandra says. You are special, you are beautiful, and you are the sexiest person I know. She's jealous because she's a bitter hag working as a dance teacher." Finn put his forehead on Rachel's, playing with a strand of her blondish brown hair.

"You really think I'm sexy?" Rachel whispered as Finn nuzzled his nose with hers.

"The sexiest." Finn answered. "I mean, you just do these things that make me feel so proud. You put me on cloud 9 every day and every night. You don't have to do much to turn me on, all you have to do is just give me that smile. I love you and I love the way you make me feel. Screw Cassandra and screw Brody…" Finn thought about his words, slightly chuckling. "On second thought, don't screw Brody." Rachel laughed, pressing a kiss to Finn's lips.

"I love you, Finn." Rachel muttered, pressing another kiss on his lips. "I hope I never lose you again…"

"You're not going to lose me." Finn assured her, still looking at her. "You're never going to lose me again. I promise." Rachel looked into Finn's eyes, gave Finn one more kiss and grabbed her menu to look down at what she was going to have. "Pick whatever you want from the menu." Finn kissed her forehead. "I'm buying dinner."

"Finn…" Rachel shook her head, not wanting to feel like a burden. "You don't have to."

"Yes I do." Finn took the menu that was originally on his side of the table and started skimming through it. "Because, I need to make sure my baby is happy. Aw, there's that smile." Finn saw Rachel's smile widened as she stared at Finn, putting her hand in his.

"Well then I guess when we get home, I have to make _my _baby happy." Rachel slyly said, staring back at her menu. Finn cleared his throat, looking back down at the menu, until he realized there was something on his mind. Rachel noticed Finn's hesitance as she nodded her head. "What's wrong?"

"There is one thing that I have to think about though…how am I going to get Vicky to trust me enough to let me lead the club?" Finn asked, circling his finger on the table.

"I'm sure that you'll think of something." Rachel patted Finn's back. "After all, you were the one that brought our Glee Club together. You are a leader Finn…and you even were able to bring friendships together. Do you think Puck and I would have _talked_ if it weren't for you?"

"No, I don't think so…" Finn honestly said. "And you know what, you're right. I can do this."

"See, there's your confidence." Rachel looked to the waiter who was coming towards her. Rachel recognized the water, poking Finn in his shoulder. Finn turned back towards the waiter, his eyes widening.

"Rachel that's…" Finn whispered. Coming up to Rachel and Finn was Dani, the same Dani that worked with Santana at the art gallery. "Dani? Wow. Hi."

"Finn? Rachel? Hi there." Dani gave them a sweet smile. "It's great to see you."

"Dani, do you work here as well?" Rachel probed, seeing Finn was still in shock.

"Yeah, it's just to make some extra money for some art supplies." Dani answered. "Can you believe that my job doesn't pay for art supplies and I have to go into my pocket and get it myself? Oh, by the way I haven't seen Santana since when Brittany came to New York. Is everything okay with her?"

"We haven't noticed Santana actually." Finn admitted. "You see, we've been a little busy with school and now I'm running the Glee Club."

"You're running the NYADA Glee Club?" Dani stifled a chuckle until she realized she was getting looks from both Finn and Rachel. "Sorry, it's just that I've seen them before and they are _not_ very good. No one has been able to whip them into shape."

"How do you know about the NYADA Glee Club? Have you seen them perform?" Rachel piqued with interest.

"I've seen them perform and they kind of are bad." Dani answered. "Hopefully Finn could be the answer. Santana and Kurt were telling me that Finn was great as a part of the Glee Club in your high school." Finn continued to stare at Dani feeling more confident than ever. He looked to Rachel who simply nodded her head at him. "I wish the NYADA Glee Club the best of luck, Finn. So can I take your order?"

* * *

Finn entered the dance studio the next afternoon, looking around to see if he could spot Cassandra July. He had some words for her after she had made Rachel cry the other night. Finn spotted Cassandra doing her stretching as he walked over, becoming sterner with every step he took. Cassandra noticed Finn standing right before her, shaking her head in disgust.

"So, it's you." Cassandra smirked. Finn gripped onto the dance bar, his face contorting in anger. "I heard if you keep that face expression it never goes away."

"Listen to me…" Finn's voice became gruff. "You leave Rachel alone, do you understand me? She has enough on her plate and she doesn't need you trying to make her feel like she doesn't belong."

"Oh…scary." Cassandra sardonically said, staring over at Finn. "Finn, let me be frank here. I push all my students. You know about that since I push you on a weekly basis."

"But tripping her in front of the whole class is pushing your students?" Finn sounded disgusted. "That's not teaching, that's _bullying!"_

"Bullying? You think I'm bullying Schwimmer?" Cassandra smirked. Finn's face twisted in rage, feeling the urge to push Cassandra, but knew better than to put a hand on a woman. "I come up with names for everyone Frankenteen. Get used to it."

"You can call me any name you want." Finn crossed his arms. "But you cannot belittle Rachel. I'm not going to have it."

"Have it your way. But this is my teaching method." Cassandra turned away from Finn, stretching out in front of him. "If you don't like the way I teach, then there's the door." Finn muttered under his breath towards Cassandra, turning away from her. Something came over Finn, and he wasn't sure what it was. Finn turned back around, clutching his hands together.

"If you _ever_ make Rachel cry again, I will make you sorry." Finn growled at her. "If you do _anything_ to hurt her, I will make sure I make your life _hell_." Cassandra walked over to Finn, both of them standing eye to eye.

"I accept your challenge." Cassandra smirked, backing away and facing towards the mirror, ignoring Finn. Finn exited the dance studio, feeling his hands shaking from the rage he felt moments before. He wasn't _just_ worried…he was scared for Rachel. On his way to the auditorium, he noticed a couple of kids taunting someone, Finn tried to get a better look at the person that was being taunted, realizing that it was Vicky getting picked on by the drama kids.

"I don't get why you dress like that anyway." One of the kids made fun of Vicky's black hat over her brown hair with blue and purple streaks. "You don't dress like the rest of us, you dress like a freak." Vicky continued to look at the boys, feeling stuck. Finn knew he had to do something to stop them from bothering her. The last thing he wanted was someone making fun of someone who was in the Glee club.

"Hey, hey, HEY!" Finn shouted, walking over to Vicky and the two drama nerds. "You think it's funny? Making fun of someone because of the way they dress and the way they look? You should be ashamed of yourself."

"And who are you?" The second drama nerd stared at Finn's outfit. "You look like you went digging in your dead grandfather's closet."

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Finn yelled, looking at both of them. "If you both don't get out of here then I am going to make sure that your lives are hell. What are you waiting for? Scram!" The two boys started walking away from Finn, muttering to themselves. As they turned the corner, Finn looked to Vicky, seeing her tough demeanor return.

"You didn't have to defend me." Vicky smirked at Finn. "I'm a big girl. I think I can defend myself."

"Well judging the way that you looked like Bambi five seconds ago, I don't think so." Finn retorted. He let out a tired sigh, shaking his head to Vicky. "I don't get it. Why do you hate me? I never did anything to you."

"Oh really?" Vicky pushed her way past Finn, heading towards the auditorium. "I'll let you lead the Glee Club here, but don't think for a _moment_ that you're going to get me to soften up for you."

"Oh, really? Because a friend of mine was the same way." Finn crossed his arms. "She thought she wasn't going to soften up to Rachel…ever. As a matter of fact, everyone thought that Rachel was annoying. But after seeing her talent shine through, they realized that they needed Rachel. We all became a family. And if we are going to have any chance of even reaching the Sectional Showcase, you have to trust me here. I know what I'm doing." Vicky considered softening up for a moment, but proved that she wasn't going to budge as she turned around, shaking her head.

"I'll take my chances." Vicky walked away from Finn, leaving him standing in the hallway by himself.

* * *

"I don't get why you're joining the Glee Club." Brody protested as he and Rachel walked along the hallway. "I mean, I get that's what you've done when you were in High School, but this is NYADA now. You can't just join the lamest club there is." Rachel turned her head to Brody, shaking her head sadly.

"I don't feel comfortable in Cassie's dance class." Rachel admitted. "And I don't get why you didn't defend me."

"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" Brody apologized, giving Rachel a look of guilt. "I wanted to, but we all know that Cassie would eat anyone alive that would defy her. She's a tough cookie."

"Yeah, I wonder what gave that idea." Rachel sighed. "The fact that she ripped me to shreds in front of everyone or the fact I ended up on the floor after she tripped me."

"That's just how Cassie is." Brody said. "I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it. She ridicules everyone."

"Right, she ridicules everyone…" Rachel huffed, standing in front of the dance studio. "Being in dance class isn't what I envisioned when I saw Cassie the Terrible. Look, I love NYADA. I don't want to start hating it because of Cassie. I want to love my time here…which is why I'm going to help Finn get the NYADA Glee club in shape."

"Oh I see now." Brody started following Rachel as she made her way to the auditorium. "This has nothing to do with the Glee Club. This has something to do with being near Finn. He can't really be that good in bed that he has you following him everywhere."

"Brody, I don't get why you're jealous of Finn." Rachel sighed. "What is there to be jealous about?"

"Because he has _you_, Rachel." Brody blurted out, not noticing that Rachel's face turned into shock. "What he's doing isn't being a man. He only joined NYADA in order to win you back and you're rewarding him by screwing him!" Rachel stood there for a moment, finally letting out a sigh.

"I chose Finn, Brody. Not you." Rachel's voice turned ice cold, her gaze turning steely. "Get over it." Rachel made her way back towards the auditorium, feeling a bit confused about the whole ordeal. Was she right to tell Brody off like that? She did need someone who wasn't Finn at this school to like her. She was a little bit lonely, she had to admit. Rachel entered the auditorium, seeing Finn working with some of the Glee Club on a musical number. Finn looked over to Rachel, seeing that she was staring at him. Finn held his finger up to some of the members, leaving them for the moment to talk to Rachel.

"Rach. Babe, what are you doing here?" Finn walked up to Rachel, putting a hand around her waist, as he got closer. "Cassandra being unbelievable again?"

"Actually, there was something I wanted to talk you about." Rachel put her hands in Finn's, staring into his eyes. "I want to join the Glee Club."

"What?" Finn raised an eyebrow in confusion, then became concerned. "Baby, this has nothing to do with what Cassandra did to you, does it?" Rachel's train of thought was lost, staring at Finn.

"Did you just call me 'baby'?" Rachel asked, a smirk appearing on her face.

"I, uh…why? You don't like it?" Finn questioned, seeing Rachel come closer to him.

"I love it…" Rachel pressed her lips to Finn's, parting after a moment. "And no, I didn't quit Cassandra's dance class. I needed a break."

"You needed a break?" Finn chuckled slightly. "Look, I _love_ that you want to join the Glee Club but you need to get out of your comfort zone."

"So you're not going to let me join?" Rachel pouted slightly. Finn put his hand on Rachel's cheek, looking her in the eye.

"I love you, Rachel….but you need to go and test yourself. How about this though…" Finn smirked thinking about a proposition. "How about you help me run this Glee Club? We could be the Ms. Pillsbury and Mr. Schuester of this NYADA club…and Cassandra could be Sue." Rachel's smile widened as she nodded her head.

"I don't see why we can't help them together." Rachel wrapped her arms around Finn's neck. "We were the power duo of the Glee Club back in our day."

"That's my girl." Finn pressed a kiss to Rachel's lips, almost getting lost in the passion, until…

"Hey, stop making out with your girlfriend." Vicky walked past Finn and Rachel, releasing a smirk. "I thought you were going to whip us kids into shape." Finn turned his head to Vicky, Rachel shaking her head with a slight grin.

"Don't let her get to you." Rachel softly said.

"Yeah, well she's getting to me." Finn sighed. He decided to change the subject, a smile tugging at his lips. "So I was wondering if you would like to join us for our musical number. It's our first one and it's going to be amazing…" Rachel pretended to think about it, causing Finn to playfully groan.

"Well, if I do join in then you owe me." Rachel looked into Finn's eyes, running a hand through his hair.

"All right then." Finn smirked, giving Rachel another kiss as he led her to the stage along with the other NYADA members. "All right Finn Harmonic…this feels really odd to say."

"What that you have a Glee Club named after you?" Dustin joked with the others laughing. Finn chuckled along with them, looking to Rachel.

"Well, since you insist on naming a Glee Club after me and I am _honored_," Finn put his free hand to his chest, his other hand intertwined with Rachel's. "We still have to do the first assignment…which is inspiration. So…feel free to come on stage if you like so we could have a group performance." Finn pointed over to the musicians who started playing music, causing Finn to hype up the Glee Club. Rachel noticed Vicky was even a bit interested in what Finn was doing. Rachel knew that it would take a while for Vicky to warm up to Finn…but she also knew that Finn would rub onto her, just like everyone else.

_{The music starts blaring through the auditorium as Finn starts dancing for fun on stage with Rachel and the other members becoming interested in Finn's performance}_

_[Finn]  
Ay, ay, ay  
Good to see you, come on in, let's go!  
Yeah, let's go!  
Okay, uh, all right, okay  
All right, okay_

_Return of the Mack, get up!  
What it is, what it does, what it is, what it isn't  
Looking for a better way to get up out of bed  
Instead of getting on the internet and checking a new hit  
Get up! Fresh out pimp strut walking, a little bit of humble  
A little bit of cautious  
Somewhere between like Rocky and Cosby. Sweater gang, nope, nope, y'all can't copy  
Yup. Bad moon walking, this here is our party, my posse's been on Broadway  
And we did it our way  
Grown music, I shed my skin and put my bones into everything I record to it  
And yet I'm on it  
Let that stage light go and shine on down  
Got that Bob Barker suit game and plinko in my style  
Money, stay on my craft and stick around to those pounds  
But I do that to pass the torch and put on for my town  
Trust me, On my I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T boy hustler  
Chasing dreams since I was fourteen with the four track bussing  
Halfway cross the city with the backpack, fat cat, crushing_

_Labels out there  
Now they can't tell me nothing  
We give that to the people  
Spread it across the country  
Labels out there  
Now they can't tell me nothing  
We give that to the people  
Spread it across the country_

_[Dustin with NYADA Glee Club and Rachel]  
Can we go back, to this moment  
Tonight is the night, we'll fight till its over  
So we throw our hands up like the ceiling can't hold us  
Like the ceiling can't hold us_

_[Dustin and Finn with NYADA Glee Club and Rachel]  
Can we go back, to this moment  
Tonight is the night, we'll fight till its over  
So we throw our hands up like the ceiling can't hold us  
Like the ceiling can't hold us_

_{Scene changes to Rachel sitting in Cassandra's dance class, looking at Brody and Cassandra, becoming confident as she gets up and starts stretching. Scene then goes to Vicky walking down the hallways and spotting Finn talking to Rachel as she holds her books closer to her, still staring at Finn. Scene finally changes to Finn, Rachel and the Finn Harmonic singing on the stage}_

_[Finn]  
Now can I kick it? Thank you. I'm so damn grateful  
I grew up, I really want gold fronts  
But that's what you get when Wu Tang raised you  
Y'all can't stop me, go hard like I got an 808 in my heartbeat  
And I'm eating at the beat like you gave a little speed to a great white shark on shark week  
RAW, tell me go up. Gone!  
Deuces goodbye. I got a world to see, and my girl she wanna see Rome  
Caesar make you a believer, now I never ever did it for a throne  
That validation comes from giving it back to the people, Now sing this song it goes like  
Raise those hands, this is our party  
We came here to live life like nobodies watching  
I got my city right behind me  
If I fall, they got me. Learn from that failure, gain humility and then we keep marching to ourselves_

_[Dustin with NYADA Glee Club and Rachel]  
Can we go back, to this moment  
Tonight is the night, we'll fight till its over  
So we throw our hands up like the ceiling can't hold us  
Like the ceiling can't hold us_

_[Dustin and Finn with NYADA Glee Club and Rachel]  
Can we go back, to this moment  
Tonight is the night, we'll fight till its over  
So we throw our hands up like the ceiling can't hold us  
Like the ceiling can't hold us_

_[Vicky]  
And so we put our hands up  
And so we put our hands up_

_[Finn and Dustin with NYADA Glee Club and Rachel]  
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na  
Hey  
And all my people say  
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na  
Hey  
And all my people say  
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na  
Hey  
And all my people say  
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na_

_[Dustin]  
Ma-ckle-more_

_[Dustin with NYADA Glee Club and Rachel]  
Can we go back, to this moment  
Tonight is the night, we'll fight till its over  
So we throw our hands up like the ceiling can't hold us  
Like the ceiling can't hold us_

_[Dustin and Finn with NYADA Glee Club and Rachel]  
Can we go back, to this moment  
Tonight is the night, we'll fight till its over  
So we throw our hands up like the ceiling can't hold us  
Like the ceiling can't hold us_

_{Scene ends with everyone throwing their hands up in the air as Finn smiles over at Rachel with a grin}_

* * *

_**GUEST STARRING**_

_**Jesse McCartney as Dustin Shafer**_

_**Victoria Justice as Vicky Martinez**_

_**Olesya Rulin as Melissa Stewart**_

_**Cassadee Pope as Celina Jones**_

_**Demi Lovato as Dani**_

_**Kate Hudson as Cassandra July**_

_**Dean Geyer as Brody Weston**_

_**SONG(S):**_

_**Love Somebody (Originally by Maroon 5): Performed by Finn Hudson and Rachel Berry**_

_**Applause (Originally by Lady Gaga): Performed by Cassandra July and Rachel Berry**_

_**Can't Hold Us (Originally by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis): Performed by Finn Hudson with the Finn Harmonic and Rachel Berry**_


	6. 1x06: In Case

_**Episode Synopsis: **In order to get Santana out of her funk, Kurt invites her to the Fall Fashion Collection party and she quickly invites Dani to come along as well. However, Santana becomes torn with her feelings for both Brittany and Dani after Dani suggests that they pursue a relationship. Meanwhile, Rachel begins to feel under the weather and Finn suggests she goes to the doctor, leading to a shocking discovery.  
_

**_Disclaimer: _**_I do not own Glee but I wish I did. Enjoy the episode!__  
_

* * *

A week had passed since Finn had taken over the NYADA Glee Club, and if there was one thing he was excited about, it was the fact that he had the day off from school to spend however he liked it. He could have been working on new song suggestions for the Glee members, he could have been working on his homework (which he did the night before to have a proper day off) or he could have walked around the apartment, watching T.V, something he hadn't done since he first moved in the loft. Finn had done none of those things; instead, he was spending his day in bed with Rachel, cuddling, kissing, making love and everything in between. Currently, Finn and Rachel were under Finn's white comforter, looking into each other's eyes while Finn had his arms wrapped around her, and pressing kisses along her neck. Finn noticed Rachel biting her lip, her eyes closing in ecstasy as he nibbled along her earlobe and neck, leaving his mark that he was hers and hers alone. Finn became satisfied with the new mark right under Rachel's ear, looking into her eyes as she continued to bite her lip. Finn chuckled, nuzzling his nose with hers as he held her close to him.

"Well that was fun, wasn't it?" Finn slightly joked as Rachel nodded her head.

"That hickey is going to go away, right?" Rachel's voice was stern, but her face expression was glad that Finn had done it. Finn nodded his head, pressing another kiss to Rachel's lips. "Hmm…" Rachel slightly moaned as Finn parted his kiss from her lips. Finn held onto her, putting his chin in the crook of Rachel's neck as they lay on their sides, breathing in each other's scent.

"God, I love you so much…" Finn muttered while pressing kisses along Rachel's back. Rachel giggled, looking to Finn. "Does New York give you a sexy attitude too, because it's really turning me on?" Rachel leaned her head back onto Finn's chest, her eyes closing as Finn pressed a kiss on her lips. Soon they were in a full on make out session, Finn ending up on top of Rachel as he looked into her eyes. Before they could go any further, there was a knock at the door. Finn groaned in disgust, looking back towards the door. "What do you want?!"

"It's you brother, Kurt." Kurt said from the other side of the door. "Are you decently dressed, both you and Rachel?" Finn cursed under his breath, grabbing his clothes from the floor as Rachel did the same. A moment later, Finn was in his sweatpants and t-shirt while Rachel was wearing an oversized Finn t-shirt with short shorts, her hair tied up into a ponytail.

"Whatever it is, it better be good Kurt." Finn grumbled, heading over to the door and opening it. Kurt looked at Finn and Rachel, becoming excited. "All right, Kurt. What is it?"

"So as you know since I am an intern at Vogue, I get to have the inside scoop on all the parties that they throw." Kurt walked in and sat on the chair adjacent from the bed. "I got us invited to the Vogue Fall Fashion Collection party! Doesn't that sound like fun?"

"I was kind of having fun already, Kurt." Finn crossed his arms, still annoyed with his brother. "I don't think I want to go to a party where there are rich snobs who have to look at clothes for three hours."

"But I can get you clothes from the Vogue vault…and you get to keep the clothing." Kurt looked to Rachel who had her hands folded in her lap. "What do you both think?"

"Well, let's see…" Finn crossed his arms, staring at Kurt. "Going to a Vogue party where you get nice clothes and have to stay for three hours hearing about what materials they use…" Finn raised his hand up as if he was measuring his interest. Finn lifted his hand up to his shoulder, causing Kurt to become slightly excited. "Or…_big _or…stay here and make love to Rachel the rest of the afternoon." Finn's other hand went over his head, with Kurt realizing that Finn would rather be with Rachel than at a party. "Sorry Kurt…but Finn Jr. and I have spoken."

"Maybe Santana would like to go with you." Rachel insisted. "I mean, she has been sulking all over the house and she won't tell us exactly why. Her going out with you to a Vogue party would do her some good."

"And I'm sure that she'd like to invite Dani." Finn added. "I mean those two are pretty close." Kurt thought about their words, finally sighing.

"All right, I'll ask Santana. Have fun you two…" Kurt waved and closed the door, causing Finn to look back to Rachel.

"Well, he's gone…" Finn took his T-Shirt off and threw it back on the floor—but he noticed Rachel's eyes widen as she held her stomach, something she hadn't done before. Rachel got up from Finn's bed, rushing to the bathroom and the next thing Finn knew, he heard Rachel coughing and vomiting in the toilet. Finn got off the bed rushing over to the bathroom as Rachel came out a few minutes later, wiping her mouth with a tissue. "Rachel, are you okay?" Finn rubbed Rachel's back soothingly.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Rachel shook her head, going to the main bathroom in order to brush her teeth. Finn followed her to the bathroom, leaning against the doorway as Rachel put toothpaste in her mouth.

"If you were nauseous today, why didn't you say something?" Finn questioned. Rachel spat the toothpaste out, staring back at Finn.

"Look, it's nothing." Rachel assured him after rinsing her mouth and going back to him. "I think I'm just getting a little stomach bug. I mean, I feel much better now."

"But that came out of nowhere…" Finn elaborated. "I mean you were fine when we were in bed and all of a sudden you're sick? We shouldn't have had sex today."

"Finn…" Rachel wrapped her arms around Finn's shoulders, staring into his eyes. "I wanted sex just as much as you did. I didn't exactly push you off me, did I?"

"Well…no." Finn thought about Rachel's point. "But still, maybe we should take it easy the rest of the day. You know, sit in front of the T.V., watch a movie, and eat some crackers with ginger ale."

"I'm fine Finn." Rachel chuckled, pressing a passionate kiss to Finn's lips. "It was just a small moment, all right? Everything's fine now."

"Well…are you still nauseous?" Finn sounded a bit skeptical to think about continuing his lovemaking with Rachel, but she jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist while pressing kisses to his neck.

"If I was nauseous, would I have done that?" Rachel smirked. Finn's worries vanished slightly as Rachel continued pressing kisses to his neck and jawline while running a hand through his hair. Finn chuckled, taking off Rachel's gigantic shirt to reveal her bra as they backed into the bathroom.

"I guess not…" Finn murmured as they entered the shower to continue their lovely, magical day.

* * *

Kurt entered the living room, spotting Santana looking at a photo album while sitting on the sofa. Kurt had noticed for the past week that Santana had been at odds with everyone in the house. She would complain when Finn had his music too loud when the volume on his laptop was 40%, or when Rachel would have a mess all over the living room from her clothes when in reality, Rachel would have just a shirt that she was planning to wear for the day. She even got on Kurt's case when Kurt suggested that they'd watch _Funny Girl_ and Santana became annoyed that all Kurt and Rachel wanted to do was watch movies that had to do with singing and drama. The last movie that Rachel and Kurt had watched that had to do with singing was _West Side Story_, and it was three weeks prior. Kurt had to find the underlying cause of why Santana was feeling so defensive. He just wanted to know why. Kurt sat next to Santana, seeing that she was staring over at Kurt, closing the photo album and crossing her arms.

"What? Can't you see that I'm reliving the glory days, Porcelain?" Santana chided. Kurt ignored the fact Santana called him 'Porcelain' and decided to cut to the chase.

"Santana, I wanted to ask you something." Kurt sat up, looking at Santana. "I have a Vogue party that I was invited to and I want to personally invite you to come along with me. Before you say no, there's going to be dresses that you can wear and you get to keep the dress you choose to wear to the event. I asked Finn and Rachel…and judging by the bathroom, Finn and Rachel would rather stay here than go to a fancy party. So what do you say Santana? Are you up for some excitement?"

"Gee, that depends. Can Brittany come?" Santana bitterly asked. Kurt raised an eyebrow to Santana, not sure why she was so upset. "I guess not because Brittany would rather leave breakup notes than even come and talk to me to my face!"

"Wait, Brittany broke up with you?" Kurt asked, staring at his friend. "When?"

"Remember when she came to visit from New York?" Santana's voice was still full of hurt but she wasn't as hostile as she was before. "Apparently she thought that I had more feelings for Dani than I had for her…" Kurt wrapped his arm around Santana, engulfing her into a hug.

"Santana, you don't really have just feelings for Brittany, do you?" Kurt questioned. Santana looked to Kurt, shrugging her shoulders.

"I mean Dani is an awesome person and Brittany is also equally awesome." Santana admitted. "I guess I found myself falling more for Dani than I did for Brittany…and that's why Brittany's gone and I'm alone."

"You don't have to be alone…" Kurt whispered. "Come with me to the Vogue party. You can bring Dani."

"Really?" Santana became interested.

"Really!" Kurt agreed. "I mean that's where you and Dani can possibly hit it off…in fashionable clothing. You don't even have to thank me for it. Consider it just what friends do."

"So are you sure Finn and Rachel wouldn't want to go?" Santana pointed towards the bathroom, where she heard slight moans although they had the showerhead on.

"They'd spend all week shacked up in here if they could." Kurt chuckled. Santana laughed slightly, finally relenting and nodding her head.

"All right, I will take you up on your offer and I will go with you and Dani to the Vogue collection party." Santana grinned. Kurt put an arm around Santana's shoulder, giving her a grin.

"You are not going to regret this." Kurt said. "When we are done with you and Dani, you are going to be the queens of the Vogue ball."

"And I really hope that you are right." Santana added, giving Kurt a small smile. She actually was looking forward to going to a party with Kurt and Dani…and who knew where the night would take her and Dani.

* * *

The next morning, Finn sat at the kitchen table reading the New York Daily News, searching through the classified sections in order to start preparing as to what kind of job he would like to do as soon as he finished college. Finn continued skimming through the paper, realizing that Rachel had come into the kitchen as she sat down across from him. Finn looked up to see Rachel sitting there with a tired smile, meaning that she might not have gotten a lot of sleep.

"Good morning, babe." Finn pressed a kiss to Rachel's cheek. Rachel continued to nod at him as she looked at the paper in his hands. "Did you want to read the paper while I make us some breakfast? We could have cereal, toast, cream of wheat…"

"How about some eggs?" Rachel interjected. Finn's eyes widened at Rachel's suggestion, letting out a nervous laugh.

"Um, babe…I thought you were vegan or…vegetarian…" Finn always seemed to confuse words, and he had a feeling he did it again right there. "Are you sure that you want to eat eggs?"

"I'm positive." Rachel vigorously nodded her head. "I _really_ want eggs…and maybe some bacon." Finn continued to become suspicious as he got up from the table. Realizing that Rachel wasn't in a mood to argue, he simply shrugged his shoulders and went to the stove to get started on breakfast.

"All right, eggs and bacon coming up." Finn turned on the stove, heading to the cabinets to retrieve one of the pots. Finn went into the fridge to grab the carton of eggs, putting a couple of them into the pot. Rachel smelled the eggs, suddenly feeling her stomach turn. She wasn't sure what was going on with her—but she suddenly felt like she had to throw up. Rachel knew she wasn't going to make it to the bathroom, so she went to the garbage can and emptied her contents there. Finn's head whiplashed towards Rachel, realizing that she was throwing up as he dropped the egg shells and went to her side. After Rachel finished vomiting, she wiped her mouth with the tissue that Finn handed to her, causing Rachel to become a bit surprised. "Rach…are you okay?" Finn wanted to know. Rachel stared at Finn, thinking about the question.

"I…I think I'm coming down with the flu or something." Rachel weakly said. "But I still want the breakfast though." Finn warmly smiled at Rachel, but there was something nagging Finn in the back of his mind about Rachel's health. Something was wrong.

"Rachel, have you ever considered going to the doctor to check if everything is fine?" Finn questioned. "I mean, there could be something wrong and the doctor could give you medicine for it."

"Finn, I'm okay." Rachel sighed. "I just need to eat something and lie down."

"All right…" Finn said, helping Rachel up as she made her way to the bathroom. "Do you want me to bring you some tea and crackers too?"

"If you don't mind, baby." Rachel answered back, causing Finn to blush slightly. Finn went back to making the eggs, but while doing that he had to figure something was wrong with her—he just wasn't sure what.

* * *

Rachel sat down on the bed, turning on the television to one of the trash talk shows that were on, waiting for Finn to come back with breakfast. As Rachel looked on her desk, she noticed the black notebook—_her_ black notebook where she wrote down the dates she had her period. Rachel took her book from the desk, staring at it as she flipped open a couple of pages. As Rachel skimmed through the book, she realized that there was a six-week time frame since she had her last period. Rachel put the book down for a moment, thinking about her symptoms, the fact she and Finn had sex constantly since they got back together and her sudden craving for eggs and bacon. Rachel didn't want to worry Finn, thinking that it was probably nothing. Maybe she really _did_ have the flu—but this could have been another possibility if her symptoms didn't subside within a week. Rachel closed her black book, hearing Finn knock on the door with a tray of breakfast. Finn walked over, putting the breakfast in front of Rachel and giving her a quick kiss on her cheek. Rachel smiled at Finn as if there was nothing going on, him climbing into bed with her as they cuddled and watched television.

"So what are we watching?" Finn asked as Rachel thought to herself for a moment. Should she tell Finn her suspicions or should she keep them a secret in case it was nothing? Finally, Rachel released a sigh, shaking her head with a smile.

"We're watching nothing." Rachel put the tray to the side, then straddled Finn's waist, noticing that he was staring up at her. Finn gave her a slight grin as Rachel smiled back at him, pressing a kiss to his lips while Finn ran his hands on her back, down towards her gown where he began to undo the bow.

"I thought you were hungry." Finn motioned to the food before being captured in a kiss by Rachel.

"I was…but I think my appetite grew a little bit more for something else…" Rachel whispered in Finn's ear as Finn went towards the drawer to grab a couple of condoms. Rachel noticed the packages of the condoms sitting on the dresser, her fears about why her period was late returning. _I'm not sure that those are going to help now…_

* * *

Santana spent the afternoon in the art gallery with Dani, working on Dani's latest sculpture. Although Santana and Dani usually had a lot of fun working at the gallery, today was a little bit different. Santana was worried about the whole Dani and Brittany thing. Dani and Brittany were different, but Santana wasn't sure who she wanted to be with more. Santana hung a painting on the wall, staring over at the Dani to make sure it was positioned in the right place.

"Is okay here?" Santana questioned. Dani looked up from one of her canvases, looking at the painting Santana had.

"Yeah, right there is good." Dani nodded her head, looking back down to the picture. Dani considered talking to Santana about what was going on since Santana had been a bit distant lately. "Hey, Santana…do you mind if we talk for a minute?"

"Sure, what about?" Santana wondered, stuffing her hands in her pockets. "Is something wrong?"

"Well, it kind of has to do with the reason that you've kind of been ignoring me." Dani shrugged her shoulders. "I kind of feel a bit hurt, you know?"

"It's not you, Dani it's just…" Santana took a deep breath, considering if she should continue. "Well, Brittany broke up with me."

"What? Why did she break up with you?" Dani felt bad for her friend. Santana felt her eyes water slightly, shrugging her shoulders.

"I don't know." Santana said. "I think that she's just jealous of you and me."

"Why would she be jealous of you and me?" Dani questioned. "I mean, it's not like we were going out or anything."

"I know we weren't going out." Santana said. "But, she thought that I had feelings for you."

"Well…do you have feelings for me?" Dani asked. Santana had the urge to scream out loud that she had feelings for Dani, but she wasn't sure if she could even think about getting in another relationship at this moment. Santana sighed, shrugging her shoulders.

"Um, there's something I wanted to invite you to." Santana changed the subject abruptly. "You see my friend Kurt works as an intern for and he got invited to this insane party where they reveal the fall fashion collection. He said I could invite a friend. Did you want to come?"

"Me? To a party?" Dani sounded a bit shocked.

"Yeah, I mean I want you to come with me." Santana assured her. She walked over to Dani, giving Dani a pouting face. "This would mean a lot Dani…"

"Santana…" Dani couldn't help but chuckle at Santana, finally relenting. "Fine, I'll go with you. But I have nothing to wear."

"That's no problem." Santana guaranteed her. "Because Kurt said that we could raid the Vogue vault and whatever we like…it's ours." Dani's eyes widened, her smile expanding.

"Then I guess I am going to have to accept the offer." Santana and Dani squealed, becoming excited that they were going to a Vogue party—and they had a chance to make a fashion statement.

* * *

Rachel sat in the auditorium by herself the next day, needing some alone time to think things over. She knew that she was going to have to confront her fears eventually. Rachel was feeling a little sicker than yesterday, making her think that maybe it wasn't the flu. Maybe she was having—morning sickness. _No,_ Rachel thought to herself. _I can't be pregnant. I mean, Finn and I used protection every time. We've been very careful…although not as careful as I'd like to have been since I forgot to take my birth control the other day. Oh god, what if I am pregnant? I can't take care of a child…and I can't tell Finn. I don't know…_

"Rachel?" Rachel was snapped out of her thoughts when she saw Melissa, Celina and Vicky standing in front of her, raising an eyebrow. Rachel gave a weak smile towards the three girls, not wanting to worry them.

"Is everything okay, Rachel?" Celina questioned, sitting down next to her. "Did someone do something you? Do we have to get Finn?"

"What? No. No one has to go get Finn." Rachel quickly said, shaking her head. "I mean…Finn doesn't have to worry about me. I'm fine."

"All right, just wanted to make sure." Melissa said, patting Rachel's back.

"Hey, did you guys hear that Cindy, the girl that's in Cassandra's class has a bun in the oven?" Vicky looked to Melissa and Celina, causing Rachel to become uncomfortable.

"She has a bun in the oven? No way!" Vicky sat down, looking at Melissa and Celina who were in shock.

"Yeah, she has a bun in the oven." Vicky smirked. "They said that she was screwing that junior, Brody and the senior, Garrett. Now she doesn't know which one is the father." Rachel felt her stomach knot up inside, a pang of nausea coming to her. Rachel took a deep breath, looking away from the others.

"Rachel? You look a little green and pale." Celina said. "Are you sure that you're not getting sick?"

"Um, I might just have a stomach bug." Rachel gave a fake sweet smile. _Or a bun in the oven_. Finn entered the auditorium with Dustin, heading towards the stage when Finn noticed Rachel sitting in one of the seats. Rachel looked to Finn, giving him a weak smile while Finn's suspicions returned.

"All right _Finn Harmonic_." Finn clapped his hands, sitting on the stage while keeping his eyes on Rachel. When Rachel didn't look back at him, he turned to the other members. "Now, College Sectionals are in December so we have three months to practice. That means we have to get more members and we have to be sharp. But I want to bring to attention some song choices."

"All right, so what are we singing?" Melissa seemed excited while Vicky rolled her eyes towards Finn.

"Well, that's what you have to decide. You choose a song based on the weeks topic. And this week is…_fear_." Finn smirked. "So you're going to sing a song about your deepest fear. All right, I need to think about it…and then you're going to sing to the club during the week. Sound good?"

"Sound good Finn!" Melissa nodded her head to Finn.

"Hey, did you hear that Cindy is pregnant, Finn?" Celina told Finn. Finn crossed his arms, nodding his head.

"Yeah, I heard about it." Finn nodded his head. "I mean it's really interesting. I can't imagine someone who could be pregnant at a performing art school, like how are they going to continue their education if they're going to start showing in like four-five months." Finn's words had Rachel cringe in her seat, her stomach churning. Finn noticed Rachel's uneasiness, causing him to give her an apprehensive look. "Anyway, think about your songs and we'll talk about it. Rach, can I talk to you for a minute?" Rachel got up from her seat, walking with Finn to the corner of the room. "Are you okay? I mean how's your stomach doing?"

"What?" Rachel shook her head, still staring at Finn. Did Finn put all of the symptoms together on his own?

"Your stomach? Are you still nauseous?" Finn asked, realizing Rachel becoming antsy.

"Oh, that…yeah I'm still a little nauseous." Rachel said, looking to Finn. "I'm sure it will go away soon."

"Babe, have you considered going to a doctor?" Finn sounded a bit worried. "I mean you're eating things that you don't normally eat, you're sick to your stomach and then you're fine…you're beginning to worry me."

"Finn…" Rachel thought it might have been best to tell Finn the truth here. Maybe he would understand. "I…" Seeing Finn's face full of worry led Rachel to believe that she couldn't tell Finn. "I'm sure I'm fine. If it will help then I'll go to the doctor for you…okay?" Rachel ran a hand through Finn's hair as he nodded his head. He grabbed her hand, playing with her fingers.

"All right." Finn pressed a kiss on Rachel's forehead as she sighed. "Why don't you go home and get some rest? I'll be home after I'm done with the Glee Club. Okay?" Rachel nodded her head, pressing a kiss to Finn' lips and heading out the door of the auditorium, not realizing that Finn was still staring back at her with interest. As Rachel made her way out of the auditorium, she crossed her arms across her chest, letting out shaky breaths. She hated lying to Finn, but she wasn't ready to tell him. Not yet. But still…Finn should have known. Rachel hated battling her conscious, but not telling Finn was something she had to do for now.

_{Scene starts with Rachel walking along the hallways staring at everyone with her arms crossing from her arms to her stomach, feeling self-conscious}_

_I want you to know that I'm happy for you  
I wish nothing but the best for you both  
An older version of me  
Is she perverted like me  
Would she make out with you in a theatre  
Does she speak eloquently  
And would she have your baby  
I'm sure she'd make an excellent mother_

_{Scene changes to Rachel going to the pharmacy, looking for pregnancy tests as she sighs}_

_Cause the love that you gave that we made wasn't able  
To make it enough for you to be open wide  
And every time you speak her name  
Does she know that you told me, you'd hold me  
Until you died, till you died  
But you're still alive_

_{Rachel stands on line getting ridiculed looks from people as she looks over at them}_

_And I'm here to remind you  
Of the mess you left when you went away  
It's not fair to deny me  
Of the cross I bear that you gave me  
You, you, you oughta know_

_{Rachel sits in the loft looking down at the pregnancy test as she goes to the bathroom, sitting down on the toilet as she waits for the results to come back}_

_You seem very well, things look peaceful  
I'm not quite as well, I thought you should know  
Did you forget about me Mr. Duplicity  
I hate to bug you in the middle of dinner  
It was a slap in the face, how quickly I was replaced  
Are you thinking of me when you screw her_

_{Rachel sits on the bed as she looks out the window, feeling a bit worried}_

_Cause the love that you gave that we made wasn't able  
To make it enough for you to be open wide  
And every time you speak her name  
Does she know that you told me, you'd hold me  
Until you died, till you died  
But you're still alive_

_And I'm here to remind you  
Of the mess you left when you went away  
It's not fair to deny me  
Of the cross I bear that you gave me  
You, you, you oughta know_

_{Rachel sits on the sofa, still waiting for the timer to go off on her phone as she looks absentmindedly at the television}_

_Cause the joke that you laid on the bed that was me  
And I'm not gonna fade  
As soon as you close your eyes and you know it  
And every time I scratch my nails down someone else's back  
I hope you feel it, can you feel it_

_{Rachel paces in the kitchen, goes to the living room, then to the bedroom as Rachel becomes worried}_

_And I'm here to remind you  
Of the mess you left when you went away  
It's not fair to deny me  
Of the cross I bear that you gave me  
You, you, you oughta know_

_{The timer on Rachel's phone goes off as she goes to get it. Rachel covers her hand with her mouth as she looks at the results, sliding down the wall and sitting on the floor}_

* * *

Santana, Kurt and Dani entered the Vogue Fall Fashion Collection gala in Vogue clothing that Kurt had chosen for both of them in the vault, the three of them feeling fresh and dapper. Kurt saw his boss Isabelle Wright coming towards him, a warm smile towards Dani and Santana.

"What a beautiful dress you're both wearing!" Isabelle gushed towards Santana and Dani.

"Thank you." Dani politely smiled to Isabelle, twirling around in her dress. "I actually feel like a princess in this thing."

"Embrace it my dear." Isabelle smiled to Dani. "You look amazing." Isabelle's gaze turned back to Kurt as she released a grin. "Kurt dear, you didn't introduce me to your lovely friends."

"Santana, Dani this is my boss and the head of , Isabelle Wright." Kurt looked from his friends to his boss. "Santana and I go back to High School while we met Dani in New York a couple of weeks ago."

"So how do you like the New York experience, Santana?" Isabelle faced her attention to Santana. "I mean, I know that it must be a change."

"It's a huge change." Santana admitted. "But sometimes a girl from Lima needs a little bit of change. A change would do you good."

"Isabelle!" one of Isabelle's workers came over to talk to her—and something was bothering him. "The speakers in the iPod dock blew out."

"Really?" Isabelle's normally chipper demeanor vanished, looking at the broken iPod radio. "How are we going to get the music going for the party now? Everyone is expecting an extravaganza."

"Um, Isabelle." Kurt raised his hand up shyly. "Santana and I have some musical training. We were in Glee Club."

"Oh really?" Isabelle looked to Kurt and Santana. "If you can save this gala Kurt then you would be my little prince charming!"

"And we will!" Kurt led Santana and Dani over to the stage, getting up on it as the three of them whispered to one another. "So now we need a song to rock my boss's socks off."

"And I think I have the perfect one." Dani turned to the band members and spoke to them about the song choice. She looked over to the people at the gala, hearing the guitar taking over. Although they were skeptical at first, Kurt and Santana agreed that this was the way to go, joining Dani in the song as the three of them gave a rocking performance—one that no one would ever forget.

_[Dani]  
You gotta help me out  
It's all a blur last night  
We need a taxi  
Cause you're hung over and I'm broke_

_[Kurt]  
I lost my fake ID  
But you lost the motel key  
Spare me your freaking dirty looks now don't blame me  
You wanna cash out and get the hell out of town  
Don't be a baby, remember what you told me_

_[Dani, Kurt and Santana]  
Shut up and put your money where your mouth is  
That's what you get for waking up in Vegas  
Get up and shake the glitter off your clothes now  
That's what you get for waking up in Vegas_

_[Santana]  
Why are these lights so bright  
Did we get hitched last night  
Dressed up like Elvis, why am I wearing your class ring  
Don't call your mother, cause now we're partners in crime  
Don't be a baby, remember what you told me_

_[Santana, Dani and Kurt]  
Shut up and put your money where your mouth this  
That's what you get for waking up in Vegas  
Get up and shake the glitter off your clothes now  
That's what you get for waking up in Vegas_

_[Kurt]  
You got me into this_

_[Santana and Dani]  
Information overload, situation lost control_

_[Kurt]  
Send out and S.O.S_

_[Santana]  
And get some cash out_

_[Dani]  
And get the hell out of town_

_[Santana and Dani]  
Don't be a baby, remember what you told me_

_[Santana]  
Remember what you told me, told me, Oh woah!_

_[Dani, Kurt and Santnaa]  
Shut up and put your money where your mouth is  
That's what you get for waking up in Vegas  
Get up and shake the glitter off your clothes now  
That's what you get for waking up in Vegas_

_[Dani]  
That's what you get baby  
Shake the glitter!  
Shake, shake, shake the glitter!_

_[Dani, Santana and Kurt]  
Give me some cash out, baby  
Give me some cash out, baby_

Santana, Dani and Kurt noticed that people were clapping during the gala, causing the three friends to look at one another with a smile. Santana should have known that what Dani had suggested would have been a good idea. Kurt, Dani and Santana got off the stage as Isabelle walked over to them, simply beaming.

"Kurt! Santana! Dani! That was amazing!" Isabelle complimented them. "When you said you had vocal training, I had no idea it was that kind of vocal training."

"Well, aren't we full of surprises?" Kurt chuckled as Santana and Dani eyed one another.

"Do you think you three can come back to our Vogue Christmas gala and sing for us then? Who needs an iPod with random people singing when I could have you three sing for us?" Isabelle questioned. Kurt quickly nodded his head while Santana and Dani continued to look at each other.

"All right, but next time I'm going to have to bring my other friends Finn and Rachel to the party." Kurt added. "They also love singing and dancing and were the best duet partners in our High School Glee Club."

"Well then I am looking forward to meeting Finn and Rachel." Isabelle grinned. As Kurt and Isabelle talked, Santana and Dani stared at one another, feeling tension—in a good way.

* * *

After the Vogue party, Santana and Dani walked down the Manhattan streets heading back to the art gallery where Dani had to finish working on another watercolor. Santana gazed at the tall buildings, realizing that the New York skyline looked different at night than it did during the day. Santana noticed Dani was staring at her, wondering if she should say her thoughts. Dani thought that it was now or never. She had to ask Santana the big question that was looming over them.

"So, Santana…" Dani cleared her throat, noticing Santana was looking over at her. "I wanted to thank you for tonight. I mean going to a Vogue party like that was amazing and it was a different experience than just spending time working on art projects at the gallery, you know what I mean?" Santana nodded her head releasing a sigh.

"Yeah, it was different than what I was used to." Santana agreed. "I mean, when we sing we don't normally get to wear fancy Vogue dresses for rich people. But I had to admit that it was fun. It's not my normal cup of tea though."

"Yeah…" Dani turned to Santana, her eyes full of wanting to know the truth. "Look…we both know how this is going to be. You have feelings for me and I have feelings for you…so why…aren't we together yet?" Santana knew that the conversation was going to make a turn like that, letting out a slight sigh.

"Look Dani…I had the best time with you and I _love_ being with you…" Santana sighed, folding her hands. "But I haven't really gotten over Brittany."

"Santana, you were the one that abandoned Brittany." Dani said. "You were the one that ignored her when she was here and now you're pretending that she's the most important thing in your life."

"Brittany _is_ the most important thing in my life." Santana's voice became a bit stern.

"She _was_." Dani used the same tone towards Santana. "She was the most important thing but if she was so important then why did you ignore her? She needed you…and you chose me when she was here. Admit it Santana…you chose me without realizing it but you don't even see it. There's a saying that if you like two people to go with the second…because if you really loved the first person then you wouldn't need a reason to go to the second person." Santana stood there, still staring Dani into her eyes. "What are you afraid of, Santana? You're in New York now, in the most magical city in the world. Your friends Finn and Rachel looked really happy together here…"

"Finn and Rachel are different." Santana said. "They knew each other since High School…and I knew Brittany since High School. I want Brittany…"

"But Brittany doesn't want you right now, does she?" Dani asked. "Because you made it rather clear that you would rather hang out with me than hang out with her. Look, Santana…you need to make a choice. Are you going to leap into a new world or are you going to sulk in your old world, wishing for things to be the same when they clearly aren't? Times change and people change. And…if you ever decide on what you want, I'll be in this art gallery working on my portrait because it has to be ready by the end of the week. There's a big gala coming up. Goodnight, Santana." Dani turned away, walking down the street towards the art gallery as Santana stood there dumbfounded. Dani was wrong. Santana knew exactly what she wanted—or did she?

* * *

"Rachel! I'm home!" Finn yelled as he opened the door of the loft, staring around and hoping that Rachel was somewhere there. "Rachel?" Finn put down his backpack as he headed towards Rachel's bedroom, where he saw Rachel lying there watching television. Finn walked over to the other side of the bed, laying down next to her and wrapping an arm around her waist, pressing a kiss on her cheek. "Hey…are you okay?"

"Peachy…" Rachel muttered, but her voice was far from chipper. Finn sat up a bit, looking at Rachel with a concerned look.

"Rachel, what's wrong?" Finn's voice was filled with worry. "Is something wrong?" Rachel got up from the bed, getting out of Finn's grasp as she walked over to the bathroom, Finn getting up from the bed and following her. "Rachel. What's going on?" Rachel looked to the bathroom sink, not staring back at Finn.

"Finn…" Rachel muttered softly, wiping the tears that were streaming down her face. Finn walked over to her, putting his hands on Rachel's shoulders, which only made Rachel sob even more.

"Rachel, will you please tell me what's going on?" Finn whispered, pulling her closer to him and wrapping his arms around her waist. Finn's eye wandered to the trashcan, noticing that there were tissues wrapped around something that looked like a stick. Finn released his grip from Rachel, walking to the garbage can and picking up what caught his interest. Finn unwrapped the toilet paper, seeing the pregnancy test that was in his hand. He observed the sign on the test, turning back to Rachel. "Rachel?" Rachel started sobbing uncontrollably causing Finn to walk over to her and wrap his arms around her. "It's okay…it's okay…" Finn rubbed her back as she continued to cry. "I'm not going anywhere…it's okay." Finn and Rachel spent the rest of the night sitting on the bathroom floor as Rachel cried and Finn holding her, letting her know that everything was going to be okay. But to be honest, Finn wasn't sure if everything was going to be all right. If Finn could admit it…he was just as petrified as Rachel was.

_{Scene starts with Santana sitting on her bed and her looking at the McKinley book in her hands, thinking about Brittany}_

_[Santana]  
Pictures in my pocket  
Are faded from the washer  
I can barely just make out your face  
Food you saved for later  
In my refrigerator  
It's been too long since later never came_

_I know, one day eventually  
Yeah I know, one day I'll have to let it all go  
But I keep it just in case  
Yeah I keep it just in case_

_{Santana looks at the art picture in the corner that Dani painted, staring over at it with a smile}_

_In case, you can't find what you're looking for  
In case, you're missing what you had before  
In case you change your mind, I'll be waiting here  
In case you just want to come home_

_{Scene changes to Rachel sitting at the doctor's office with Finn with an arm around her shoulders}_

_[Santana]  
Strong enough to leave you  
Weak enough to need you  
Cared enough to let you walk away  
I took that dirty jacket  
From the trash right where you left it  
Cause I couldn't stand to see it go to waste_

_I know, one day eventually  
Yeah I know, one day I'll have to let it all go  
But I keep it just in case  
Yeah I keep it just in case_

_{Rachel sees the doctor coming out and handing her an envelope with the test results as Finn stares at her with a supportive look}_

_In case, you can't find what you're looking for  
In case, you're missing what you had before  
In case you change your mind, I'll be waiting here  
In case you just want to come home_

_{Scene changes to Santana looking at her Cheerios uniform in the loft, thinking to herself}_

_[Santana]  
In case you're looking in that mirror one day  
And miss my arms, how they wrapped around your waist  
I say that you can love me again  
Even if it isn't the case_

_You don't find what you're looking for  
You're missing my love_

_{Santana grabs her jacket as she starts running towards the art gallery}_

_You don't find what you're looking for  
In case, you're missing what you had before  
In case you change your mind, I'll be waiting here  
In case you just want to come home_

_{Scene changes as Dani paints a picture and Santana runs in the art gallery, staring over at Dani}_

"Santana?" Dani became confused, seeing Santana walking over to her. "What…what are you doing here? It's Saturday."

"I know!" Santana nodded her head. "I thought about the words that you said and…you're right." Santana said. "I need to move on from Brittany. If I wasn't good enough for her then I have to be good enough for someone else." Dani's smile widened while still giving Santana a small smile.

"So did you figure out who you could be good enough for?" Dani questioned, noticing that her face was inches apart from Santana's. Santana leaned into Dani, pressing her lips to hers. Dani let out a small smile, holding Santana closer to her as they kissed. Santana parted from Dani, releasing a small beam.

"Did that answer your question?" Santana grinned from ear to ear. Dani nodded her head quickly, sharing the same grin Santana had. Santana and Dani kissed once more, as Dani led Santana over to one of her paintings.

"Would you like to work on one of my paintings with me?" Dani asked in a chipper tone. Santana grabbed a paintbrush with some paint on it, skipping over to Dani.

"Let's paint this bad picture up." Santana and Dani gazed into each other's eyes once more, and then began to work on the painting together. They weren't sure where this was going to end up, but for now Santana needed a change. She needed to stop dwelling on the past and needed to start looking forward to the future.

* * *

Rachel and Finn sat at the kitchen table that morning, looking down at the manila envelope with Rachel's test results. Rachel didn't open it when she came home from the doctor and Finn decided not to press the issue until she was ready. However, Rachel was sure today was day. She was going to find out whether or not she was pregnant. She was hoping the test she took was a false positive because she wanted to live her life still. She didn't want to end up having a baby so young and throwing away all her chances like some of the other girls at NYADA. Rachel gazed at Finn, seeing that he was just as antsy as she was as he stared down at the envelope.

"Are you ready to open the envelope?" Rachel nervously asked Finn. Finn nodded his head, staring over at Rachel.

"Yeah, I'm ready to see the test results." Finn folded his hands together, his eyes locked on the girl he loved. "I just want to let you know, regardless of what that paper says, I will be there for you. I'm not going to bail just because there could be a kid in nine months. I love you Rachel…whether you're pregnant or not." Rachel felt a smile creep on her lips, patting Finn's hands reassuringly.

"I love you too Finn." Rachel softly said. Rachel went to the folder, opening it and taking the results out of the envelope. Rachel scanned the results, putting a hand over her mouth while Finn's eyes widened.

"What…what does it say?" Rachel looked down at the paper, and back to Finn. Rachel showed Finn the paper—and neither of them said a single word as they both sat there in silence.

* * *

_**GUEST STARRING**_

_**Demi Lovato as Dani**_

_**Sarah Jessica Parker as Isabelle Wright**_

_**Victoria Justice as Vicky Martinez**_

_**Olesya Rulin as Melissa Stewart**_

_**Cassadee Pope as Celina Jones**_

_**SONG(S):**_

_**You Oughta Know (Originally by Alanis Morissette): Performed by Rachel Berry**_

_**Waking Up In Vegas (Originally by Katy Perry): Performed by Dani, Kurt Hummel and Santana Lopez**_

_**In Case (Originally by Demi Lovato): Performed by Santana Lopez**_


	7. 1x07: SexyBack

_**Episode Synopsis: **Kurt recruits Rachel, Finn, Santana and Dani to be temporary models at Vogue after Isabelle Wright's (**Sarah Jessica Parker**) original models get a case of food poisoning. Meanwhile, Finn and Rachel find their sex life has diminished after Rachel's pregnancy test results. With some insightful words by Isabelle, Finn takes an extra step to show Rachel just how much he loves her. _

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I do not own Glee but I wish I did. Here's the brand new episode (with another cliffhanger at the end of the episode). Enjoy! _

* * *

A week later, Rachel was standing by the sink, scrubbing the dirty pots and pans, mumbling to herself about how she was going to have to tell Finn, Kurt and Santana to clean up after their messes. Rachel looked to the pan, still scrubbing it as she let out a sigh. She heard footsteps behind her entering the kitchen, Rachel knowing that it was Finn. Rachel didn't turn around to face him, instead she was focused on cleaning the pans. Finn walked next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder, trying to tell her to stop.

"Hey, um…" Finn muttered, looking to Rachel. "The house without Santana and Kurt is pretty quiet. I was wondering if you wanted to…"

"I'm cleaning." Rachel abruptly answered. Rachel continued to look down at her soapy hands, keeping her eye contact to the sink.

"I was going to suggest that we'd watch T.V." Finn said, pointing back to the living room. Rachel focused her eye contact on Finn, looking at his chocolate eyes. "I heard they were giving _West Side Story_ on television and I know how much you like that movie. I wanted to ask if you were going to watch it with me." Rachel contemplated, finally turning off the water to the sink. She looked back to Finn, nodding her head slowly to him.

"All right, if you really want to watch _West Side Story_." Rachel said. Finn led Rachel to the television, sitting her down on the sofa as Finn turned on the television. Finn wrapped his arm around Rachel, gazing over at the T.V. as the musical began. Rachel didn't realize it but she leaned her head on Finn's shoulder, cuddling with him as the movie went on. During the second half of the movie, Finn began to feel bored, seeing that Rachel was dozing off. Finn pressed a kiss to Rachel's cheek repeatedly, smirking and softly chuckling after every kiss, hoping that Rachel would turn to him and kiss him. Rachel looked to Finn who was still pressing kisses on her cheek, folding her hands. "Finn, what are you doing?" Rachel felt a bit amused.

"Isn't it obvious?" Finn shrugged his shoulders, still kissing Rachel's cheek. "I'm…kissing…you." Rachel couldn't help but giggle, pressing her lips to his. Finn and Rachel started making out on the couch, Finn raising an eyebrow as he decided to take it a step further. Finn moved his hands down to Rachel's shirt, slowly trying to pull it up, but felt Rachel slap his hands as she fixed her shirt. Finn removed his lips from Rachel, still staring at her. "What was that about?" Rachel sat up on the couch, fixing her hair.

"I'm…not in the mood." Rachel slightly lied. Finn looked to Rachel, feeling confused. "I mean, I'd rather finish watching the movie."

"Rachel…" Finn softly said, looking into her eyes. "What's wrong? You've been acting odd since we got the tests results last week. I mean…it was a false positive on the pregnancy test."

"I know but…like I said, I'm not in the mood." Rachel sighed.

"Rachel, we haven't had sex in a week. It's not your time in the month so why are you denying me pleasure?" Finn sounded like he was whining towards the end of the sentence.

"Maybe I don't want to have sex right now, ever thought of that?" Rachel sounded annoyed. She got up from the sofa, walking to her room. "I'd rather go take a nap."

"Take a nap?" Finn raised his eyebrow, looking to the clock. "But it's only five in the afternoon."

"_Finn_." Rachel's voice became sharp as she stared at him. She realized her tone as she rubbed her temple. "Babe, I'm sorry…I'm…I'm just really tired. Do you mind if I just take a nap please? You can join me in my room for cuddling and T.V. if you want." Finn sat up on the sofa, running a hand through his hair.

"As much as I would love to cuddle with you…" Finn grabbed the game controller from the cabinet while motioning to the T.V. "I think I'll just play _Grand Theft Auto_."

"All right." Rachel walked over to him, pressing a kiss on his cheek. "I love you, babe. You know that right?"

"Yeah, I know you love me." Finn sincerely said, pressing a kiss to her lips. "Go and take a nap…I don't want you to be here when I start stealing cars and shooting people." Rachel giggled, putting a hand through his hair as she walked away, her smile disappearing as she made it to her bedroom. It wasn't that she didn't want to have sex with Finn. She wanted more than anything to have him in her bed again, but after the pregnancy scare, she had to take a step back. She didn't want to actually become pregnant. She wanted to stay at NYADA. She wanted to fulfill her dreams of Broadway—and having a kid at 18 would have made it a little harder than it had to be.

* * *

Three hours later, Finn finished playing video games and decided to make a small dinner for him and Rachel, putting soup on the stove along with some crackers. He wasn't in the mood to eat a heavy dinner. He wanted to eat something Rachel would have wanted, and since Finn hadn't gone food shopping yet, he was going to have to settle for something with no meat. Finn grabbed the tray of soup and crackers, walking over to the bedroom and knocking on the door. Finn opened the door, realizing Rachel was reading a book while the movie _Funny Girl_ was on T.V. He closed the door behind him, seeing Rachel looked up from her book, putting a smile on her face.

"Finny." Rachel grinned as Finn put the tray of soup and crackers in front of her.

"Hey. I made you some dinner…" Finn smiled. "I know it's not actual dinner, but it's something for you to eat tonight. I promise I'll go get some food tomorrow."

"You are the best boyfriend ever, you know that right?" Rachel leaned into press a small kiss to Finn's lips, going back to her dinner as she started to eat the cracker and soup.

"I'm glad I'm the best boyfriend in the history of the world." Finn lay on Rachel's bed, leaning his head and back against the headboard. Rachel continued to eat her crackers and soup, watching the movie while Finn gazed at her. "My goodness, you're beautiful." Rachel looked back to Finn, giving him a nod of her head.

"I get the feeling you say that just to say it." Rachel answered, still eating her food.

"I mean every word I say, Rachel." Finn pressed a kiss to Rachel's lips, pulling her close to him as his kisses turned passionate and sensual. Rachel parted her lips after a moment, pressing a kiss on Finn's neck. "Rachel…why are you torturing me?"

"I'm not torturing you." Rachel answered. "I just want to relax."

"That's all you wanted to do all week." Finn sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Are you okay? You've been acting different since last week."

"I'm fine, I promise." Rachel said. She then looked down to her soup and crackers releasing a smirk. "I think I might have to go to the doctor again."

"What you still think you're pregnant?" Finn wondered, looking to her.

"No, not that…" Rachel shook her head, feeling an embarrassed smile creep across her face. "I was thinking maybe a different birth control. I mean, it is my fault that I was almost pregnant."

"What? What do you mean it was almost your fault?" Finn didn't understand.

"Well, there was one day that I didn't take my birth control." Rachel admitted. "The last thing on my mind would have been you and I in my bed after a stressful day of school."

"Well maybe you should just take your birth control then." Finn said.

"You're right, I should have taken it." Rachel answered. "It's just…do you mind if I ask you something?" Finn moved Rachel into his lap so that she was facing him. "I'm just worried."

"What are you worried about?" Finn questioned.

"I mean…this was a wakeup call, Finn." Rachel put both her hands on Finn's shoulders while looking at him. "I mean, I love you and you love me and the sex we have is mind-blowing and the best thing I've ever felt in my entire life. But…you saw the consequences. I mean…I almost was pregnant. What if I get pregnant? That's something I don't want right now."

"All right then I'll just get a vasectomy." Finn didn't see the issue.

"No, I don't want you to do that." Rachel shook her head. "I want us to have kids but in the future. Not right now."

"So let me guess, we're not going to have sex until you're 25 and have won Tony awards?" Finn asked. "Because Rachel, that's a long time…and I don't think I can wait that long."

"Not till we're 25 silly." Rachel shook her head, sighing. "I mean, I love you and I love loving you in so many ways that I didn't know that were possible, but we need to think about this Finn. As much as I feel like a woman, knowing that you're there, I need to think things over a bit. You understand, right?"

"Yeah…I understand." Finn nodded after a moment, seeing Rachel smiling at him.

"I love you." Rachel pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"I love you too, Rachel." Finn held both her hands, smiling up at her. "So, what do you want to do now?"

"Do you want to share all these crackers with me?" Rachel wondered, staring at Finn. "You gave me too much."

"Can I feed you the crackers?" Finn grabbed a cracker from the tray, plopping one in Rachel's mouth. Rachel chewed on the cracker, still smiling over at Finn. She wasn't sure when she was going to be ready to give herself to Finn again, but it really helped that Finn had the patience for it. But Finn wasn't as patient as it would have been thought. Instead, Finn was frustrated. However, he did love Rachel so he was willing to go along with it, for now.

* * *

"I can't believe this!" Kurt lifted his head from his desk, staring out into the horizon. It took Kurt a couple of moments before he realized that the voice he heard was Isabelle. Kurt got up from his desk, heading over to Isabelle's room, seeing that she was frazzled with the situation that was before her. "What do you mean that the models can't do the Vogue shoot? They've had this booked for months and we have to get the pictures of the fall collection on the site by Monday. Food poisoning? Who told them to go to Korea Town? All right, thanks for calling. Now I have to find some new models." Isabelle slammed the phone, letting out a sigh. Kurt cleared his throat, seeing that Isabelle turned her attention to him. "Kurt dear, is there something that you needed?"

"Actually, I overheard your conversation about needing models for the Vogue shoot." Kurt said, holding his clipboard close to him. "I was wondering if you wouldn't mind explaining to me exactly what you're looking for?"

"Well I had these models…one of them was tall…and a male. He was hot, I won't lie." Isabelle said. "Why? Do you think that you have an idea on who could replace my models? Because if you could find someone Kurt then I will seriously love you forever."

"No worries Fairy Godmother." Kurt smiled as Isabelle grinned back to him. "I think I have just the people to replace your models for the photo shoot. When do you need to do the photo shoot?"

"I was thinking maybe Saturday, if you can find people that are free." Isabelle said. Kurt nodded his head, a smirk appearing on his face.

"Then your wish…is my command."

* * *

"OH YEAH!" Finn moaned loudly as Rachel kneaded Finn's back and shoulders. Finn was lying on the couch while Rachel sat on top of his back, massaging him. Rachel remembered that during Glee Club, Finn had attempted to moonwalk—until he tripped over his shoelaces and fell flat on his back. He was walking all the way home like an old man, which amused Rachel yet had Finn grumbling about how dancing had to be harder than it looked. "Right there." Finn said as Rachel kneaded his shoulders.

"No one told you to attempt to do the moonwalk and fall on your back, Finn." Rachel playfully scolded him. "I thought you would have learned your lesson when you broke my nose two years ago."

"I said I was sorry about that." Finn looked at Rachel, then moaned as Rachel massaged a part of his back, causing him to let out a satisfied smile. "That actually feels really good. Do you think that I can massage your back afterwards?" Finn raised an eyebrow towards Rachel, causing her to lean forward towards his cheek.

"Nice try, Finn." Rachel pecked Finn's cheek, going back to massaging his back. Finn groaned, letting out a pout while Rachel finished massaging him. After Rachel was sure that she had gotten all the kinks out, she got off his back, sitting on Kurt's car chair. "Go ahead, test out your back." Finn sat up from the couch, twisting his back as he nodded his head.

"Yeah, you are a sexy miracle worker." Finn got up from the couch, walking over to Rachel and pressing kisses on her lips. "I love you…" Finn said after the fifth peck from Rachel's lips.

"I love you too, Finn." Rachel grinned, kissing him once more. Finn and Rachel heard the door to the loft open, turning their heads to see Santana and Dani entering with shipping bags. "Wow, someone went shopping." Rachel chuckled as Finn nuzzled his nose to Rachel's cheek.

"Can you believe all of the stores that were open today?" Santana exclaimed. "I think we found something cute from Chanel and then from Dior…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…" Finn put his hand up to stop Santana and Dani from listing all the fancy brands. "Last time I checked Chanel is _expensive_. Rachel tried to ask for perfume like…two weeks ago, hinting about her birthday."

"Wait, you actually walked into Chanel?" Rachel looked to Finn, raising her eyebrow.

"Yeah, I did that while you were at your dance class." Finn answered innocently. "They had to scan me _before_ I entered the store. That was…yikes."

"Because Finnocence, the security guard was probably gay on the down-low and tried to cop a feel." Santana smirked as Dani and Rachel laughed. Finn felt his cheeks turning red, ignoring Santana's statement.

"That's _really_ disturbing." Finn said, his cheeks still tomato red as Rachel got up from the chair and wrapped her arms around his neck. Finn turned to Rachel, pointing to his face with confusion. "Rach, do I look gay to you?"

"I don't know..." Rachel slyly shrugged her shoulders, still smirking at Finn. "That's not for me to judge. That's for the security guard that tried to cop a feel." Dani and Santana burst out laughing as Finn feigned a hurt look on his face.

"Ouch…" Finn muttered, shaking his head. "Rachel that was uncool." Rachel pressed a kiss on Finn's cheek as Kurt entered the apartment.

"Oh good…Finn and Rachel are clothed." Kurt jested. Finn turned to Kurt, giving a glare while Rachel felt slightly uncomfortable. Kurt and Santana still didn't know that Rachel and Finn had a pregnancy scare, and she wasn't exactly all for jumping back into the bed with Finn. "Anyway, I have something for you guys that you are going to love!"

"Oh really? What are we going to love?" Rachel looked to Kurt with interest.

"Well, there's bad news and then there's good news" Kurt explained. "Bad news is, the models that work for have food poisoning and Isabelle has no one to do the modeling for the fall spread."

"All right, so what's the good news?" Finn questioned.

"How would you, Rachel, Santana and Dani like to be models on Saturday? Isabelle was looking for a tall person…and you're the only tall person I can find on such short notice." Kurt said, as Finn seemed skeptical. He didn't think that he was a model by any chance. He knew that he looked good when he took pictures with Rachel but that was just for him and Rachel's use. The modeling pictures were going on for the world to see. Finn cleared his throat, unsure about it.

"I don't know, Kurt." Finn honestly said. "I mean, I love you and all but having to work at is kind of…boring."

"Finn, all you're doing is standing there with clothes, getting your picture taken. It's not rocket science." Kurt said. "I mean, it will be fun."

"Do we at least get compensated?" Finn asked. "I mean, I don't want to spend my entire Saturday at Vogue only to find out I'm doing it for free and not getting fed."

"One step ahead of you brother." Kurt smirked. "Because Isabelle is willing to pay you each $1,000 for your modeling services…_and_…you will get fed." Rachel, Santana and Dani became excited, jumping up and down with glee.

"Okay, Finn we have to do this!" Rachel looked to her boyfriend who was still skeptical. "I mean, you get money and you get to eat all the fancy food you want."

"Yep, there will be anything a carnivore could possibly want." Kurt walked over to his brother, putting a hand on Finn's shoulder. "And we all know how much you _love_ your meat."

"Well…" Finn let out a sigh, relenting. "All right, I'll be your boss's model for the day." Kurt, Rachel, Dani and Santana started squealing as Finn decided to join in on the squealing—until everyone stopped to stare at him. "All right…no more squealing."

* * *

Finn sat in his room, using one of the weights to work out his arms as he let out a small smile. He noticed Rachel entering the room as he worked out, showing Rachel his buffed up arm. Rachel sat down next to him as he continued working out, seeing that he was freaking out about having to be a model for a day.

"Finn, if you keep working out with that weight then you are going to pull something." Rachel let out a smile. "I mean, you're only modeling for a day. Isabelle Wright wants people who look like normal people modeling the clothes. She doesn't want Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson."

"You know who Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is?" Finn widened his eyes, staring at Rachel.

"I do." Rachel nodded her head. "It's hard to believe I know, but he's been in a lot of Disney movies."

"Oh yeah, the time where he decided to try out being an actor." Finn chuckled. "I should had known because you definitely don't watch wrestling…except you do like to wrestle me for the T.V. remote from time to time."

"When you moved here, I warned you that I take my 'Honey Boo Boo" very seriously!" Rachel put a finger up, giving Finn a playful smile.

"Who names their kids Honey Boo Boo anyway?" Finn shook his head. "That's kind of odd."

"It is not a weird name!" Rachel playfully scoffed, looking at her boyfriend. "It's very unique."

"Okay so if we had a baby, would you name our kid Honey Boo Boo?" Finn questioned. "And if you say yes then I wouldn't let you."

"Well, no I would not name our kid Honey Boo Boo." Rachel said, staring at Finn as she moved closer to him. "I think I would name him Finnegan O'Hudson."

"Finnegan O'Hudson?" Finn asked. "That sounds so Irish…it sounds like…take away the O, it sounds like my name." Rachel giggled, pressing a kiss to Finn's lips. Finn smiled while kissing Rachel, running a hand through her hair. Finn moved his hand towards Rachel's shirt, once again trying to get it up over her head, but once again Rachel held onto Finn's hand, opening her eyes to give Finn a shake of her head.

"Not tonight, Finn." Rachel's smile disappeared, looking down to look at her feet. Finn nodded his head, releasing a tired sigh. "I'm sorry baby, I don't mean to deny you but…I'm not ready."

"When are you going to _be_ ready?" Finn sounded a little antsy. "It's been almost two weeks and I miss being with you…I miss seeing your beautiful eyes full of lust staring into my eyes. I love when you dig your nails into my shoulders and give me one of your passionate kisses. I miss _you_ Rachel."

"I miss you too…" Rachel admitted, putting a hand on Finn's cheek. "But I'm not ready yet. As soon as I am ready I will let you know." Rachel kissed Finn's lips quickly, getting up from the bed slowly. "I'm going to go to bed. I love you so much, Finn."

"I love you so very much too, Rachel." Finn gave her a weak smile. Rachel walked closer to him, giving him a warm grin.

"Come on, that's not your happy smile." Rachel said softly. Finn put a genuine smile as Rachel pressed her lips to Finn's, staying there for a moment before parting and smiling. Rachel turned around, walking out of the room as Santana entered, watching Rachel heading into her room.

"What's going on between you and Rachel?" Santana asked, sitting into Finn's chair. Finn didn't want to tell the story at first, but he realized that he had to if he wanted Rachel to ever sleep with him again.

"Well, Rachel doesn't want to sleep with me." Finn said.

"That's odd; she's usually all over you. What did you do to her?" Santana wondered, taking one of Finn's pens and started playing with it.

"I didn't do anything." Finn insisted. "It's just…well…Rachel had a pregnancy scare." Santana's eyes widened as she put the pen to the side, leaning into Finn as he continued telling the story. "Rachel and I went to the doctor and it turned out the pregnancy test she took was a false positive. But ever since we came home from the doctor, Rachel won't even let me touch her. It's like she's scared or something."

"She is scared, Finn." Santana genuinely said. "She almost lost all of her dreams because your sperm wanted to just keep swimming along and almost reach her egg. She's lucky though because like you, your sperm isn't very smart."

"Gee thanks." Finn sardonically muttered while rolling his eyes. "But Santana, this is kind of killing my groove. Do you know how many times I had to…um…_take care of myself_ because Rachel didn't want to be with me this week? Every time I get a chance, Rachel pushes me away. I love her but I miss being with her. I just wish that she'd put her guard down a bit."

"All right Finn, I kind of see what's going on here." Santana played with the pen she picked back up from the table. "You're sexually frustrated and you're just rushing the process of Rachel finally opening herself up to you again. Look, you have to realize that this isn't going to be easy. She found out she could have gotten pregnant because of those dollar store pregnancy tests. She's taking a step back and revaluating her life and that means the sex she has with you. You have to be patient with her."

"And how do you know all this?" Finn wondered.

"Because Quinn and Puck went through this before we graduated." Santana said. "When Quinn went to go and help Puck 'study', they did more than study history. They rekindled their history…yeah, it wasn't pretty."

"Santana."

"Right, look. The point is, be patient. Rachel will come to you when she's ready but she's never going to be comfortable if you're pressuring her. So whenever Finn Jr. gets that urge for loving, take care of him until Rachel can take care of Finn Jr. for you."

"That was very disturbing." Finn muttered, staring at Santana.

"I'm Santana Lopez. I'm a bitch and I tell it like it is. Have we met before, Finn?" Santana raised an eyebrow while Finn nodded his head slowly.

"Yeah…um, thanks for your help…I think." Finn scratched the back of his head as Santana got up.

"You're welcome Finn." Santana walked out of the room, but stopped in her tracks staring back at Finn. "If you really want to get Rachel in your pants, you gotta bring the sexy back." Santana left the room, leaving Finn in his thoughts. Santana did have a good point…if he wanted Rachel to make love to him again…he had to be so sexy that Rachel couldn't take her hands off him.

_{Scene goes to the next morning as Santana, Dani, Rachel, Finn and Kurt go to the Vogue office on the Subway and Finn stares at Rachel giving her a wanting look}_

_[Finn]  
I'm bringing sexy back  
Them other boys don't know how to act  
I think your special, what's behind your back  
So turn around and I'll pick up the slack_

_Take 'em to the bridge_

_{Rachel turns around, looking at Finn seeing that he was attractive, grabbing his hand as Finn leans closer to Rachel's ear}_

_[Finn]  
Dirty babe  
You see these shackles baby I'm your slave  
I'll let you whip me if I misbehave  
It's just that no one makes me feel this way_

_Come here girl  
Go head be gone with it  
Come to the back  
Go head be gone with it  
VIP  
Go head be gone with it  
Drinks on me  
Go head be gone with it  
Let me see what you're twerking with  
Go head be gone with it  
Look at those hips  
Go head be gone with it  
You make me smile  
Go head be gone with it  
Go ahead child  
Go head be gone with it_

_[Finn with Rachel]  
Get your sexy on  
Go head be gone with it  
Get your sexy on  
Go head be gone with it  
Get your sexy on  
Go head be gone with it  
Get your sexy on  
Go head be gone with it  
Get your sexy on  
Go head be gone with it  
Get your sexy on  
Go head be gone with it  
Get your sexy on_

_{They get off the train and Finn gives Rachel sultry looks as Rachel bites her lip with wanting}_

_[Finn]  
I'm bringing sexy back  
Them other boys don't know how to act  
Come let me make up for the things you lack  
Cause you're burning up I gotta get it fast_

_Take 'em to the bridge_

_{Finn and Rachel get on the escalator as Finn pulls Rachel closer to him and she digs her nails into Finn's shoulder}_

_[Finn]  
Dirty babe  
You see these shackles baby I'm your slave  
I'll let you whip me if I misbehave  
It's just that no one makes me feel this way_

_Come here girl  
Go head be gone with it  
Come to the back  
Go head be gone with it  
VIP  
Go head be gone with it  
Drinks on me  
Go head be gone with it  
Let me see what you're twerking with  
Go head be gone with it  
Look at those hips  
Go head be gone with it  
You make me smile  
Go head be gone with it  
Go ahead child  
Go head be gone with it_

_[Finn with Rachel]  
Get your sexy on  
Go head be gone with it  
Get your sexy on  
Go head be gone with it  
Get your sexy on  
Go head be gone with it  
Get your sexy on  
Go head be gone with it  
Get your sexy on  
Go head be gone with it  
Get your sexy on  
Go head be gone with it  
Get your sexy on_

_{Finn and Rachel get in the Vogue elevator as Finn pins Rachel to the elevator wall as he leans into Rachel's ear}_

_[Finn] (Rachel)  
You ready? (Yeah)  
You ready? (Yeah)  
You ready? (Yeah)  
You ready? (Yeah)_

_{Scene ends with Finn and Rachel staring at one another as Rachel continues to study him, leaning closer to his lips. The elevator door opens as Finn and Rachel turn their heads, seeing that someone that worked there stands there, waiting to get into the elevator. Finn and Rachel get out of the elevator holding hands as they look a bit embarrassed}_

* * *

"Welcome to Vogue ladies and Finn." Kurt led the girls and Finn towards Isabelle Wright's office, giving then a smile. "This is where the best of the best come and get their fashion sense."

"Interesting." Santana nodded her head as they made their way through the floor. "So where is Isabelle's office?"

"Looking for me?" Finn, Rachel, Santana, Dani and Kurt turned their heads towards Isabelle, seeing she was holding a camera. Isabelle took a picture, causing Finn to rub his eyes with his free hand. "Just want to make sure my models are wide awake for a day of fun."

"We're not really models." Finn chuckled, holding out his free hand to Isabelle. "Hi, I'm Finn and this is my girlfriend Rachel."

"Wow Kurt, you did good." Isabelle grinned to Kurt. "You brought a straight model. And Finn dear, you are a model. You're tall, you're good looking, any girl would want to grab you and rip you to shreds. All you have to do is give a sultry look and the girls will fall in love with you."

"Wow, you really think so?" Finn thought, staring at Isabelle. "I just never thought that I was…you know, special."

"Stop thinking that you're not special." Isabelle grinned. "I see something special in you Finn Hudson; I'm not going to lie."

"Thank you." Finn politely nodded his head, looking down to Rachel who was smiling up at him. "And all this time I thought Rachel was lying when she said that I looked hot on camera." Rachel playfully hit Finn's shoulder while Isabelle grinned.

"Santana, Dani it's so nice to see you again." Isabelle waved to them. Dani and Santana smiled at Isabelle as Isabelle motioned them towards where they were going to do the photo shoot. "Now, all of you are going to get into hair and makeup and we'll see you on the runway. Oh, but Finn and Rachel I want you two to do a couples shoot. I see chemistry and we're trying to sell the clothes, but of course as the lovers you are, you can have some fun with it."

"That's sounds great." Finn quickly nodded her head while Rachel stared into his eyes. She wasn't sure if the couples shoot was going to be a great idea. Rachel faked a smile as she nodded her head, looking back to Finn with worry. "Um, do you mind if we meet you there in a minute?" Finn asked. Everyone nodded their heads as they started heading towards makeup as Finn and Rachel looked at one another. "Rachel. I know that you're worried about the photo shoot."

"What? Me?" Rachel denied it. "I'm not worried at all."

"Yes you are. Look, you've kind of been sheltered all to yourself…and Rachel, I know that the false positive was a scary experience, I know it was scary…and I admit that we should have been a little more careful, but everything I ever said to you, I meant it. Even if you were knocked up, I wasn't going to leave you. I was going to stay like a man and take care of my girlfriend and our baby." Rachel continued to gaze at Finn, seeing that he was taking her hand in his. "I love you so much, Rachel…and there is nothing that I wouldn't do for you. But I just want you to know that you're not alone in any of this. I'll never bail on you ever…and I know that this is just a bunch of words, but I mean every single word." Rachel continued to eye Finn, a smile appearing on her face as she reached up and kissed him. Finn wrapped an arm around Rachel's waist as she released a grin.

"Okay…" Rachel softly murmured as Finn became muddled.

"Okay, what?" Finn whispered. Rachel grazed Finn's chest with her finger.

"Just…okay." Rachel whispered, walking towards the room where the models got their makeup done. Finn stared at Rachel, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"You really love her, don't you?" Finn turned his head to see Isabelle walking over and smiling at him. "I can tell. You both seem like you're made for each other. How long did you know her?"

"Since we were sophomores in High School." Finn answered. "She actually freaked me out when I first met her. We were singing for our Glee Club and she started singing 'You're The One I Want' from Grease. The look she gave me chills…but I was interested in her passion towards the Glee Club. She loved our club. Sure she did things that interested her but…in the end she was always there for us. She loved everyone. She just was so special and she still is special."

"So why haven't you proposed to her yet?" Isabelle wondered. Finn turned to Isabelle, raising an eyebrow. "I figured that you would have proposed to Rachel by now since you love her so much."

"Well I…" Finn stuffed his hands in his pockets shrugging his shoulders.

"Look, I don't want to get into your business and let me know if I'm being intrusive." Isabelle said. "I was just wondering that if you loved someone, you would do whatever it took to be with them the rest of their life. I'm not saying go out and propose to her today…but I am saying keep it as a possibility. When you love someone, you don't let it go, so what's stopping you? Do you live with each other?"

"Well yeah, but there's also the fact that we live with Kurt and Santana." Finn said. "So it's not like we're living on our own. I mean we are but…"

"Finn…" Isabelle chuckled. "It's just a possibility. I mean, I know if I were your age and I was so certain that the person I was with was the one I wanted to spend my lifetime sitting on the couch and showering each other with love, then I would not hesitate to do it. Especially when you think and can't see yourself without the person." Finn continued to stare at Isabelle, thinking about her words. Finn nodded his head, stuffing his hands in his pocket.

"Thanks for your words. It really opened my eyes." Finn politely said as Isabelle led him to wardrobe.

"Like Kurt says, I like to play the role of Fairy Godmother." Isabelle grinned. "Maybe I play the role a little too well."

"I think you'd make a great Fairy Godmother." Finn complimented. "You already do great work with . Kurt showed us the website last night."

"Well…I thank you." Isabelle noticed Rachel and Santana in makeup as Finn started gazing over at Rachel. Rachel looked like she was an actual model for Vogue—she looked stunning! "She looks great, right? Didn't take a lot of work. She's naturally beautiful."

"She looks gorgeous…" Finn whispered in awe as he continued to stare at Rachel. Isabelle walked past Finn, the small smile still on her face as Finn walked over to Rachel. Rachel looked up at Finn, noticing that his face was in awe. "Rachel, you look so beautiful." Rachel blushed, staring up at Finn with a smile.

"I feel kind of like a model right now." Rachel joked as Finn wrapped his arms around her.

"You're always a model to me…then again, you always look beautiful." Finn blushed, pressing a kiss to her cheek. Rachel stared over at Dani and Santana, seeing that they were coming out of the dressing room with their outfits for the photo shoot. Santana wore a fire red slinked dress with a gold bedazzled belt buckle with black pumps while Dani wore a teal dress with gold fringing and a pair of black pumps. Santana smirked at Finn, seeing that he wasn't ready yet.

"Oh Finn you are going to love the process it takes to get ready." Santana smirked, looking over at Finn. "Did you know that they put the boys through makeup?"

"Wh…MAKEUP?!" Finn blurted out, staring back at Rachel as she stifled a giggle. "There is no way in hell I am wearing makeup!"

"Oh come on Finn, it's not all that bad." Rachel chuckled. "I mean all they do is put on some concealer, foundation, powder…maybe some lip gloss for your lips."

"Oh no." Finn shook his head as Rachel stood up, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Oh come on Finn, it won't be that bad." Dani said.

"Nope, and do you know why?" Rachel grinned over to Santana and Dani as they nodded their heads. "Because Finn is going to just look _glamorous!_"

_{Scene starts as Santana, Dani and Rachel put Finn in one of the chairs and Finn looks at the mirror as Dani and Santana put makeup on him. Finn grimaces as Rachel giggles at him and continues to put makeup on him}_

_[Finn]  
I said if you don't have no money take your broke, broke home  
I said if you don't have no money take your broke, broke home_

_[Santana, Dani and Rachel]  
G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S  
G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S_

_We're flying first class, up in the sky  
Popping champagne, living the life  
In the fast lane, but I won't change  
By the glamorous, ooh the flossy, flossy  
The glamorous, the glamorous, glamorous  
By the glamorous, ooh the flossy, flossy  
The glamorous, the glamorous, glamorous  
By the glamorous, ooh the flossy, flossy_

_{Rachel, Dani and Santana look through the clothing and choose a suit as they throw it over to Santana with a grin who gives it to Finn}_

_[Santana]  
Wear them gold diamonds rings  
All those things don't mean a thing  
Chaperons and limousines  
Shopping for expensive things  
I be on the movie screens  
Magazines and boogie scenes  
I'm not clean, I'm not pristine  
I'm no queen, I'm no machine  
I still go to Taco Bell  
Drive through, Ross, hell  
I don't care, I'm still real  
No matter how many records I sell  
After the show or after the Grammys  
I like to go cool out with the family  
Sipping reminiscing on the days  
When I had a Mustang  
And now I'm in…_

_{Finn finishes getting dressed and Rachel, Finn, Santana and Dani walk the fake Vogue runway as Isabelle takes pictures with Kurt standing there nodding his head}_

_[Santana, Dani and Rachel]  
We're flying first class, up in the sky  
Popping champagne, living the life  
In the fast lane, but I won't change  
By the glamorous, ooh the flossy, flossy  
The glamorous, the glamorous, glamorous  
By the glamorous, ooh the flossy, flossy  
The glamorous, the glamorous, glamorous  
By the glamorous, ooh the flossy, flossy_

_{Finn and Rachel do their shoot as Isabelle, Kurt, Santana and Dani watch on with Finn and Rachel smiling at one another}_

_[Finn]  
I'm talking champagne wishes  
Caviar dreams  
You deserve nothing but all the finer things  
Now this whole world has no clue what to do with us  
I got enough money in the bank for the two of us  
Brother gotta keep enough lettuce  
To support your shoe fetish  
Lifestyles so rich and famous  
Robin Leach will get jealous  
Half a million for the stones  
Taking trips from here to Rome  
So if you ain't got no money take your broke, broke home_

_[Rachel]  
G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S  
G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S_

_{Santana, Dani, Rachel and Finn stand on the runway as Isabelle takes their pictures with a smile}_

_[Dani, Santana and Rachel]  
We're flying first class, up in the sky  
Popping champagne, living the life  
In the fast lane, but I won't change  
By the glamorous, ooh the flossy, flossy  
The glamorous, the glamorous, glamorous  
By the glamorous, ooh the flossy, flossy  
The glamorous, the glamorous, glamorous  
By the glamorous, ooh the flossy, flossy_

_{Scene goes to just Rachel and Finn sitting on a crate for a shoot as Rachel eyes Finn with a smirk}_

_[Rachel]  
I got problems up to here  
I've got people in my ear  
Telling me these crazy things  
That I don't want to know  
I've got money in the bank  
And I really like to thank  
All the fans, I like to thank  
Thank you really though  
Cause I remember yesterday  
When I dreamt about the days  
That I'd rock on MTV, that'd be really dope  
It's been a long road  
And the industry is cold  
I'm glad my daddy told me so  
He let his daughter know_

_[Finn](Rachel)  
I said if you don't have no money take your broke, broke home (My daddy told me so)  
I said if you don't have no money take your broke, broke home (He let his daughter know)  
I said if you don't have no money take your broke, broke home (My daddy told me so)  
I said if you don't have no money take your broke, broke home (he let his daughter know)_

As soon as the shoot finished, Rachel, Finn, Santana and Dani sat down on the stage feeling exhausted—happy, but exhausted. Isabelle walked up to them clapping her hands together with joy as they all looked up to her.

"That was amazing guys! Thank you all so much for today!" Isabelle grinned. "I have to say, you all look so good on camera that it was unbelievable. Finn, like I told you, you could be model material."

"I think I'll stick to being a music teacher." Finn laughed while staring at Isabelle. "But thank you for the opportunity. It was amazing."

"You're very welcome. And I have a surprise for my four models here…" Isabelle handed the envelopes to Rachel, Dani, Santana and Finn as they opened them up with excitement. Inside were a $1,000 check, and a gift card to any fancy restaurant in New York City. They stared over at Isabelle with thankful smiles as she leaned down towards them. "This is my way of thanking you all. You were all great replacement models and I would have been toast if it weren't for you. So consider this my gift."

"Isabelle, thank you so much." Rachel continued to look at Isabelle.

"You're very welcome Rachel." Isabelle got up from her position, taking the camera "I have to go and edit these. Now I know where to find my models the next time my real models decide to eat week old Thai. See you all later." Isabelle gave Kurt a smile, heading past him as Kurt sat down on the runway.

"This was fun, wasn't it?" Kurt asked. "I mean you all got to be models for a day and surprisingly we found something Finn is good at. Standing there just modeling clothes. Look, I want to thank you all too. You basically saved my job."

"Oh your job was never in jeopardy, Kurt." Santana waved her hand as the others laughed.

"Yeah probably not but you guys are great friends." Kurt said. "It's also great that now you get to take home the clothes you're in."

"That won't be a problem." Rachel stood up from the runway, pulling Finn up with her. "I love my outfit." Rachel twirled in her dress as Finn chuckled at her. Rachel looked into Finn's eyes after twirling around, Kurt knowing where it was going.

"All right you kids, go ahead." Kurt waved off to Finn and Rachel while turning around with a small smile on his face. Rachel grabbed Finn's hand as they ran off the runway, Finn feeling a bit confused as to where they were going.

* * *

A couple hours later, Finn and Rachel were entangled in Rachel's sheets, staring at one another as Finn wrapped his arms around Rachel's body. Finn didn't know what had come over Rachel that she decided to change her mind and be intimate again, but he was actually relieved to do so. Finn continued to stare at Rachel with a half grin as she continued to eye him.

"Something wrong, love?" Rachel poked Finn's nose as he continued to stare at her.

"You are just so freaking beautiful…" Finn softly said, staring into her eyes. Rachel continued to look at Finn as she pressed a kiss on his cheek. Finn's smile turned into a wide grin as Rachel raised an eyebrow towards him. "I can finally say that I slept with a model."

"Funny, I can say the same thing too." Rachel smirked, pressing a passionate kiss on Finn's lips. Finn looked to Rachel as she parted, letting out a small smile.

"Rachel, do you mind if I ask you a question?" Finn wondered as Rachel nodded her head. "What caused you to change your mind about us being intimate again?" Rachel put a hand on Finn's shoulder, putting her forehead to his.

"Well, there was the fact that I _did_ keep you waiting for almost two weeks." Rachel explained. "I did realize that it wasn't fair to you…and I don't know. I guess you brought sexy back." Rachel pressed another passionate kiss to Finn's lips, running her hands through his hair. Finn's eyes opened slightly while looking over at her, an idea forming in his head.

"It was my suit that brought together the sexy, right?" Finn joked. Rachel nodded her head, letting out a giggle.

"Yes, you did look sexy in the suit." Rachel agreed. Her face became apologetic as she sighed. "Look, I'm really sorry about this week Finn. I do love you so much and I want to show you how much I love you every day but I was scared…I was scared that my future was going to go down the toilet and that my plans would have to change. I do want a baby…but maybe not for another couple of years, if you can understand."

"I think I can understand…" Finn said nodding his head. "And we're naming him Drizzle, right?" Rachel laughed, wrapping her bare arms around Finn's neck, shaking her head.

"Not in a million years, babe." Rachel answered.

"Not even for a middle name?" Finn wiggled his eyebrows causing her to laugh hysterically. Finn started kissing Rachel's neck, as her laughing subsided. After Rachel was able to think straight, she realized what Finn was doing and she removed his face from the crook of her neck.

"We have school on Monday, babe." Rachel reminded him. Finn realized she was right, looking over to the clock that was on the nightstand. It was 9:30 in the night and he could have sworn no one was home. Finn looked back to Rachel, seeing she was staring at him. "Something wrong Finn?"

"Do you want to go and take a walk in Central Park?" Finn asked almost on a whim. Rachel became confused, holding the blanket close to her.

"Why do you want to go to the park?" Rachel didn't understand. "I thought you would have wanted to stay in bed with me."

"I do want to stay in bed with you." Finn nodded his head. "But there was something I want to do with you that doesn't involve annoying our neighbors." Rachel laughed, reaching for her clothing on the floor as Finn smiled. "So is that a yes?"

"Yes, that is a yes." Rachel said as she put on her clothing.

"Wear something cute." Finn smiled. Rachel got off the bed, going towards her closet, opening it to find something to wear. She realized that something was missing…only her clothes were in here. Rachel turned her head over to Finn, letting out a smile.

"Finn…there's something I wanted to ask you real quick." Rachel said, heading back towards the bed.

"And what would you like to ask me?" Finn wondered. Rachel leaned closer to Finn's face, giving him a smile.

"I get kind of lonely in this bedroom by myself." Rachel shrugged her shoulders. "And I noticed that you get pretty lonely in your room too…besides, I like being on my bed when we're intimate a little more than yours."

"Yeah, my bed squeaks a lot." Finn nodded his head while Rachel wrapped her arms around Finn.

"Move in my room." Rachel said. "That way it can be our room. I mean you already live in this house and I have some room in my drawers and closet for your clothes. I noticed you've been living out of your suitcase…and the only thing you have is a cabinet and a bed in your room. Besides…it gets lonely sleeping without you."

"You want me to move in your room with you?" Finn asked. Rachel nodded her head, biting her lip. "I would love to, Rachel…" Rachel kissed Finn quickly, then went to go pick out an outfit for wherever Finn was taking her. As Rachel looked over to Finn, she felt her heart flutter with butterflies, knowing that she couldn't picture her life without him, no matter how hard she tried.

_{Scene starts with Rachel looking through her closet, finding a nice outfit as she smiles to herself}_

_[Rachel]  
Lying here with you so close to me  
It's hard to fight these feelings  
When it feels so hard to breathe  
I'm caught up in this moment  
I'm caught up in your smile_

_{Scene changes to Finn in his tux waiting in the living room for Rachel as he stares at a picture of her in his phone}_

_[Finn]  
I never opened up to anyone  
So hard to hold back  
When I'm holding you in my arms_

_[Finn with Rachel]  
We don't need to rush this  
Let's just take it slow_

_{Rachel comes out and Finn grabs her hand as he opens the door, leading her out the door as they go towards the Subway}_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
Just a kiss on your lips in the moonlight  
Just a touch of the fire burning so bright  
No, I don't wanna mess this thing up  
I don't wanna push too far  
Just a shot in the dark and you just might  
Be the one I'll been waiting for my whole life  
So baby I'm all right, with just a kiss goodnight_

_{Finn and Rachel get to Central Park and Rachel smiles as she and Finn take a romantic stroll through the park as he smiles at her}_

_[Rachel and Finn]  
I know that if we give this a little time  
It will only bring us closer to the love we wanna find_

_[Finn]  
No it's never felt so real_

_[Rachel]  
No it's never felt (with Finn: So right!)_

_{Finn gets a bunch of roses from a flower cart and hands them to Rachel as she blushes and smiles at him, pressing a kiss on Finn's cheek}_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
Just a kiss on your lips in the moonlight  
Just a touch of the fire burning so bright  
No, I don't wanna mess this thing up  
I don't wanna push too far  
Just a shot in the dark and you just might  
Be the one I'll been waiting for my whole life  
So baby I'm all right, with just a kiss goodnight_

_{Finn and Rachel walk over to sit on one of the benches as they see fireflies and Rachel smiles at them as one of them lands on Finn's nose}_

_[Rachel]  
No, I don't wanna say (with Finn: Goodnight)_

_[Finn]  
I know it's time to leave  
(with Rachel: But you'll be in my dreams)  
Tonight_

_[Rachel]  
Tonight_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
Tonight_

_{Finn and Rachel continue walking through the park as she stares over at Bow Bridge and Finn walks her over to it}_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
Just a kiss on your lips in the moonlight  
Just a touch of the fire burning so bright  
No, I don't wanna mess this thing up  
I don't wanna push too far  
Just a shot in the dark and you just might  
Be the one I'll been waiting for my whole life  
So baby I'm all right, with just a kiss goodnight_

_[Rachel]  
Let's do this right_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
With just a kiss goodnight…_

_[Rachel]  
With a kiss goodnight_

_[Finn]  
A kiss goodnight_

Finn and Rachel pressed a kiss to each other's lips as they stood on Bow Bridge, realizing that this bridge had so much history with them. Finn parted, looking into her eyes as she smiled. Rachel looked around the scenery, leaning against the bridge with a smile.

"Remember the first time that we were both here?" Rachel said unexpectedly. "It was during Nationals when we were juniors and you said that we were going on a 'work date'. It was the best work date of my life."

"I was aiming to make that a real date." Finn wrapped his arms around Rachel's waist, putting his chin on the top of her head as he hugged her. "And you had to admit that it was beautiful."

"It was beautiful." Rachel nodded her head, looking out to the scenery. "I mean, the fact that you could afford a dinner at _Sardi's_ was amazing."

"We can go there again if you'd like…" Finn shrugged his shoulders. "They're probably booked tonight but remember, Isabelle gave us the gift cards with money for dinner."

"I remember. That would be beautiful." Rachel said. Finn took a deep breath as he looked to Rachel seriously.

"Hey, Rachel…there's something that I want to talk to you about." Finn watched Rachel, seeing she was eyeing him with interest. "I know it's kind of hard for you to just sit there and listen but I want you to promise me that you're going to listen until I finish what I have to say."

"I promise." Rachel nodded. Finn let out a deep breath, continuing his thought.

"Rachel, I'm not gonna lie…ever since I got to New York, I wasn't sure what I was going to do…but because of you I was able to find my way through New York and this once confusing state of mind was actually clear for me. I love going to NYADA and I love running the college Glee Club. I love living in the loft with you and I love that you let me back into your life. When I'm with you, I realize that I want no one else. I can't picture my life with anyone but you. When I wake up in the morning, my first thoughts don't have to do with me anymore. It's more 'what can I do to please Rachel today?' If we're gonna be honest, when we found out you weren't pregnant, I was a little disappointed. I was relieved that we don't have to think about having children for a while but it had me thinking that I could wrap my head around the idea. I realize I want to be a dad, I want a son to take care of and show him right from wrong…how to play the drums like a badass." Rachel couldn't help but chuckle at the last part, the smile still on her face. "But although we might have to wait a while for a baby, I don't mind. Just the thought it was cool. And maybe one day when we're older, we can make that a reality. When I'm settled as a music teacher and when you're on Broadway playing Evita or Maria or…Fanny or whatever role. But there is a role that I do want you to play…my _wife_." Finn took out a ring from his pocket as he got down on one knee, Rachel looking at him in surprise and a bit of shock. Finn opened the ring box to reveal a gold ring band that had diamonds all along the band. Rachel held her hand to her mouth as Finn continued to look at her with hope, asking the question that he hoped he would get a yes. "Rachel Barbra Berry….will you marry me?" _  
_

* * *

_**GUEST STARRING**_

_**Sarah Jessica Parker as Isabelle Wright**_

_**Demi Lovato as Dani**_

_**SONG(S): **_

_**SexyBack (Originally by Justin Timberlake): Performed by Finn Hudson and Rachel Berry**_

_**Glamorous (Originally by Fergie feat. Ludacris): Performed by Finn Hudson, Santana Lopez, Dani and Rachel Berry**_

_**Just A Kiss (Originally by Lady Antebellum): Performed by Rachel Berry and Finn Hudson**_


	8. 1x08: A Thousand Years

_**Episode Synopsis: **In an attempt to help Finn, Rachel attempts to recruit members for the NYADA Glee Club, only to bump into the diva-like Simone Barberrie (**Ariana Grande**). After seeing Simone's crush on Finn, Rachel begins to question Finn's love. In an attempt for an intervention, Santana and Kurt call a New Directions member that has history with Finn to try to talk him out of his second engagement with Rachel while he's only a teenager._

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I do not own Glee, but I wish I did. Enjoy the episode everyone! _

* * *

Rachel woke up the next morning feeling something against her back. She was almost positive that this was her bed and that she should have been alone. Rachel turned her head to the other side of the bed, noticing that Finn was sleeping, holding his pillow close to him while drooling. Rachel couldn't help but smile softly at him as she reached out to run her hands through his hair. As she put a hand through his hair, she looked towards her ring finger, seeing the engagement ring Finn had given her. She didn't have to think about her answer when he asked. The fact that he took her to Bow Bridge, the fact he remembered the leading ladies in the different Broadway shows, the fact that he admitted that he would have wanted to be a father if it wasn't for the fact he was only turning 19 years old. Rachel decided to lie in bed with Finn for a bit, watching him sleep. Even if Finn drooled or had bad breath, he still would have been handsome and adorable. Rachel kissed Finn's forehead softly, noticing he was beginning to stir. Finn's eyes opened slowly, looking at Rachel who was still smiling at him.

"Good morning, handsome." Rachel cooed as Finn pulled her closer to him.

"Morning…" Finn groggily said, looking over at the clock. "What time is it?"

"I think it's eight." Rachel said, looking at him while biting her lip. "And it's Sunday, so we have all day to spend the day together."

"Oh, as much as I would _love_ that." Finn apologetically stared at Rachel. "I have to finish my homework. I started it, but I couldn't finish it."

"Finn, why didn't you do your homework?" Rachel playfully scolded him.

"Because you're so amazing, that's why?" Finn answered, still feeling sleepy. "But…." Finn leaned into Rachel, kissing her as she ran a hand through his hair. "You will be rewarded if I can do my work."

"Oh really?" Rachel muttered against Finn's neck as Finn started to kiss her neck. "How will I be rewarded?"

"I don't know…" Finn playfully nipped at Rachel's ear, but before he could go much further he heard his phone ring. Finn turned over to the phone, grabbing it and picking up the phone. "Hello?"

"_Out of bed, Finn. I know you're in there with Rachel." _The voice came from the living room as well as Finn's phone. Finn's eyes widened, letting out a groan.

"KURT!" Finn screamed as the phone hung up. Finn got out of bed as Rachel smiled at him. "I'm gonna go out there and kick his ass. And there's no way that you can stop me." Finn pointed towards Rachel while she shrugged her shoulders with an amused smile.

"Finn, you're not really going to go and kick Kurt's behind, especially after we had such a lovely evening last night?" Rachel grinned to him as Finn thought about it. "I mean, going to Bow Bridge and you proposing there was the most romantic thing that I've ever seen, it was more romantic than one of those cheesy comedies."

"Of course it was more romantic than that, I thought of it." Finn shrugged his shoulders. Rachel got out of bed, walking over to Finn and wrapping her arm around his neck.

"I know and I love you so much…" Rachel looked into his eyes. "I can't believe that when you came to New York, I was the one that was afraid to leap. I mean, usually I'm in for everything but this time…_you _made me open my eyes and realize that you have so much love to give…and the reason you sent me to New York was because you loved me. You weren't doing it to hurt me, it was to love me and cherish me."

"Now you see it." Finn half joked, then pressed a soft kiss to Rachel's forehead. "I love you, Rachel Berry…and I will never stop loving you for as long as I live."

"I love you too, Finn Hudson." Rachel grinned, putting a hand on his cheek. Rachel pressed a kiss on Finn's lips, letting out a smile. "We should probably go to the kitchen or else Kurt will probably try to bust in here."

"What if I don't want to leave?" Finn wiggled his eyebrows while giving his signature half grin to Rachel.

"Finn Hudson. March to the kitchen this instant." Rachel pointed as Finn put his hands up.

"All right, all right _mom_." Finn joked as Rachel chuckled while shaking her head. Rachel and Finn made their way to the kitchen, seeing Santana, Kurt—and _Dani_ in the kitchen. Rachel and Finn turned to Dani and Santana, making their way to their seats with a confused expression. "Dani…um, not that we're not glad to see you here but…what _are_ you doing here?"

"Oh, work ran late last night so Santana said that I could spend the night here." Dani shrugged her shoulders to Finn with a smile, grabbing the cereal bowl on the table. "It's no big deal."

"They were _sleeping_ Finn." Kurt gave Finn a glare as Finn grabbed the box of Lucky Charms on the table and poured himself a helping. "It's not like you where you say you're sleeping but you make it clear for about four, five hours that you're not sleeping."

"All right, geez." Finn looked to the milk but realized that Rachel was closer to the milk. "Hey babe, can you pass me the milk?" Finn looked to Rachel, as she quickly obliged. However, as Rachel was reaching for the milk, Kurt caught site of a gold band on Rachel's ring finger—a band with diamonds on it.

"Rachel, what's this?" Kurt grabbed Rachel's hand, pointing to the ring. Santana and Dani stared at the ring, turning to Finn in shock. "It's a very expensive ring…the 24 karat gold, the Swarovski diamonds! This was bought at the Swarovski jewelers! And I've seen these types of rings before…this is an engagement ring!"

"Finn, are we really going to do this again?" Santana rolled her eyes. "The last time you were engaged to Rachel, you ended it by forcing her to go to New York while you decided to backpack through Georgia and join the army, where you claim that you were too good for the army but I did some digging up and found out that you're Sergeant gave you a semi-honorable discharge because you shot yourself in the thigh."

"What? How?" Finn shook his head.

"I have my sources, Finnocence." Santana smirked, looking to Rachel. "So you're going to get hitched to Finn and you think this engagement will work out?"

"We're in the same city now and there's nothing stopping us." Rachel argued. "Besides, you should have seen where he proposed to me. On Bow Bridge where there were all these fireflies. It was beautiful."

"Sounds like a romantic comedy." Kurt smirked. "But still Rachel, this isn't a good idea."

"It's not like we're eloping and getting married right now." Finn sighed, putting his hands on his forehead. "It's just to let her know that we're going to get married. She's the one that I want."

"Cute, but Finn this is New York." Kurt sighed. "There's a million of fish in the sea here and I'm sure that you and Rachel will feel temptation at some point. I'm not saying right now because you're still in the "we just got together and it feels so good" phase, but you need to take a step back. There are a million of other factors in all this. What about our parents? What about Rachel's parents? Aren't they going to worry about their little Rachel getting married to you? The guy who apparently shot himself in the leg with his own rifle."

"That I named Rachel." Finn put his hand up in his defense. "Now can I get the freaking milk so I can eat my cereal in peace?"

"Yes you can babe. Here." Rachel handed Finn the milk as his smile returned, pouring the milk into the cereal. He took the cereal and placed it in his mouth, letting out a grin.

"Hmm…who said _Lucky Charms_ are for kids?" Finn asked, looking over to Rachel, Kurt, Santana and Dani.

"No one says that." Kurt shook his head while chewing a piece of his eggs. "That's the slogan for _Trix._"

"Really?" Finn raised an eyebrow to his brother. "I thought the slogan was 'Silly Rabbit, _Lucky Charms_ are for kids.'"

"No, that's the slogan for _Trix_." Dani said. "The slogan for _Lucky Charms _is 'You'll never get me Lucky Charms_."_

"Those commercials are all over television on the weekends, especially on _Nickelodeon_." Santana added. "You'd have to have seen one commercial on T.V. while watching cartoons…right?" Finn sheepishly chuckled, shaking his head quickly.

"I wasn't a cartoon addict." Finn said. "I liked my drums a little more than cartoons."

"That should be a crime right there." Dani chided as Santana and Kurt laughed. Rachel rubbed Finn's back soothingly, giving her friends a smile.

"Oh come on, leave Finn alone." Rachel chuckled. "If Finn finished his homework then we can watch Sunday morning cartoons in hope that he finds a Lucky Charms commercial."

"So basically I missed my whole childhood because I've never seen a Lucky Charms and Trix commercial?" Finn stared at everyone.

"Yep, pretty much." Santana nodded her head as Kurt and Dani agreed. "All right, what homework does Finn have to do that's so important?"

"Well, I have to find some more members for the Glee Club if that helps." Finn said. "We can't compete with just four people in the Glee Club."

"Wait, that was your homework?" Rachel asked. "Finding more people for the Glee Club?"

"Yeah, that was pretty much it." Finn said. "I mean, there has to be more people in the Glee Club that would like to join. Don't you think?"

"All right, here's what we're going to do. Finn…go to the living room and start watching cartoons. I'll go and find someone else for the Glee Club." Rachel got up from her seat, staring at him. "They have a lot of people at _Callbacks_ that are NYADA students so I'm sure that I'll find someone there."

"You'd really do that for me, Rachel?" Finn asked as Rachel got up from her seat with a grin.

"Yes, I will do that for you." Rachel rubbed Finn's shoulders, finally making her way to the bedroom. "Now go to the T.V. That's an order."

"Yes ma'am." Finn grabbed his bowl of cereal, making his way to the loft living room. He sat on the sofa, turning on the television while Rachel came out looking ready for the day. "Wow, you look beautiful."

"Thank you, but you can't touch me till I get back." Rachel smirked. "I have to look presentable for when I go to Callbacks to recruit your talent." Rachel walked over to Finn, pressing a quick kiss on his cheek. "I'll be back later, okay baby?"

"All right." Finn smiled as Rachel made her way towards the door. She opened it and closed it, heading off to Callbacks. Finn stared over at the television, waiting for the commercials to come…until he heard a knock at the door.

"Finn, can you get that?" Santana asked as she, Dani and Kurt went to the rooms. Finn got up from the sofa with his bowl of cereal, walking over to the door with annoyance. Finn opened the door, his eyes widening at the sight of—Quinn Fabray!

"Quinn?!" Finn blurted out, dropping his bowl of cereal. Finn looked down at the mess of milk on the floor as he sighed. "Um, I'll pick that up." Finn went to get a mop, seeing that Quinn was still staring at him. "Quinn, what are you doing here?" Finn asked while mopping the floor.

"Well, I came to visit you guys." Quinn answered. "Rachel and I have travel tickets from Connecticut and New York."

"Oh, well Rachel's not here now." Finn said. "She went to the NYADA singing club in order to find some more talent for the Glee Club we're running."

"You're running a Glee Club with Rachel?" Quinn couldn't say she was surprised that Finn was running a Glee Club. He was a leader after all. "That's really noble of you Finn."

"Well the kids I have seem to want to make it to College Sectionals." Finn finished mopping as he put the mop back in the bucket in the corner of the room. "So, I know that you didn't come all the way here to talk about the Glee Club. I could give you the address of the NYADA club if you want?"

"Oh, I'm not here to talk to Rachel." Quinn shook her head, still with a small smile on her face.

"You're not here to visit Rachel?" Finn became confused. "If you're not here to visit Rachel, then who are you here to visit?"

"You." Quinn answered, seeing Finn was in shock. What did Quinn want to talk to Finn about? And how much trouble was he going to be in afterward?

* * *

Rachel entered Callbacks, staring out at the scene before her. It was a Sunday morning, but there were a lot of NYADA kids honing their skills to be perfect for the end of the semester. For the Freshman, it was the Freshman Reaping. Rachel walked in the club, looking around to see if she could find some proper talent. She needed someone that was going to knock Finn's socks off…but not enough that she was a better singer than Rachel.

"Rachel!" Rachel turned her head to see Celina and Vicky sitting in one of the booths. Rachel quickly made her way towards them, a smile forming on her face.

"Hi ladies." Rachel sat down in the booth, staring at them. "What's going on?"

"We're here trying to find someone to recruit for the Glee Club." Celina answered. "The only problem is no one wants to join because they think our club is for losers."

"That and they refuse to even talk to us." Vicky sighed. Rachel was about to speak until she heard someone enter Callbacks in a diva like fashion. Rachel whipped her head to the door, seeing a girl walking over to the signup sheet and writing her name on it in big letters. "Oh, you don't want to go there." Vicky caught Rachel's attention.

"What's wrong with her?" Rachel asked. "She could be just the thing the Glee Club needs."

"She's stuck up, she's rude and she only cares about herself." Celina said. "She's pretty much a nightmare."

"What's her name?" Rachel wondered, still staring over at the girl.

"Her name is Simone Barberrie." Vicky answered. "She's an all right singer, but she's not our type for the Glee Club."

"Oh really?" Rachel got up from her seat, still intrigued by Simone. She wanted to know who this Simone 'hot shot' was. Rachel reached the desk, seeing that Simone wrote her name in gigantic letters—enough to fill up the entire sign-up sheet. Rachel looked to her, trying to grab her attention. "Um, Simone?" Simone turned her head to Rachel, letting out a slight smirk.

"We're you going to sign up too?" Simone asked, although it was obvious Simone purposely left no room on the paper for anyone else to shine.

"Um, I was going to ask you if you…were interested in well…my boyfriend…fiancé…well…" Rachel found herself stammering.

"Spit it out! I don't have all day." Simone barked. Rachel shook her head, rubbing her temples. "I have to go and show the audience how much they love my voice…and how one day I will be a star."

"Um, Simone. I have signups for the Glee Club." Rachel said, but Simone scoffed.

"You want me to join your little club?" Simone shook her head. "Look…um…"

"Rachel. Rachel Berry." Rachel quickly said.

"Look _Rachel Berry_." Simone spoke Rachel's name in a disgusted tone as she continued. "I don't have time for the Glee Club. The Glee Club is a waste of my time, especially if there's no one that can match my caliber singing. What do you have? Four singers and one of them is a male? Try to recruit one of them or something."

"So you think you're too good for Glee Club?" Rachel wondered. "You think Glee Club would be a waste of time because you're better than everyone? I used to feel the same way. Trust me, I know what you're thinking…but Glee Club is a joy and you are going to love it."

"Are you in the Glee Club?" Simone smirked.

"Well, no…but I'm helping Finn Hudson, he runs the club." Rachel explained. "Look, Finn is desperate for someone who could be a part of the Glee Club. He wants to take them to sectionals. At least sing for us so that we know that you're good enough." Simone considered Rachel's proposition, finally relenting.

"Fine, but if I go up there then you have to go up there with me." Simone let out a snicker, grabbing the microphone. "I want to see if you're really as good enough as they say." Rachel grabbed a microphone, following Simone to the front of the Callbacks stage. Rachel wasn't sure what she was doing, but she knew that she was going to have to put little Simone into her place. "We're singing _Feeling Good_, the Carly Rose Sonenclar version. I hope you can keep up."

"Oh, I'm sure I can keep up." Rachel looked to the crowd as the music began to play, and as both Rachel and Simone sang, they both realized something—Simone felt Rachel sang better than her and Rachel felt Simone sang better than her!

_[Rachel]  
Birds flying high, you know how I feel  
Sun in the sky, you know how I feel  
Breeze drifting on by, you know how I feel  
It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me  
Yeah, it's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me, ooooh,  
And I'm feeling good_

_[Simone]  
Dragonfly out in the sun, you know what I mean don't you know  
Butterflies all having fun, you know what I mean  
Sleep in peace when day is done, that's what I mean  
And this old world is a new world and a bold world for me_

_[Rachel]  
Stars when you shine, you know how I feel_

_[Simone]  
Scent of pine, you know how I feel_

_[Rachel]  
Yeah, freedom is mine and I know how I feel!_

_[Simone]  
It's a new dawn!_

_[Rachel]  
It's a new day_

_[Simone]  
It's a new life_

_[Rachel and Simone]  
For me!_

_[Rachel]  
And I'm _

_[Simone]  
Feeling_

_[Rachel and Simone]  
GOOD! _

Rachel and Simone glared at one another as everyone started cheering but Simone only had one question on her mind as she let out a smirk.

"What time are Glee rehearsals?"

* * *

"Okay, I don't understand…what is all this about?" Finn wondered as Kurt, Santana, Dani and Quinn sat on the opposite couch, staring at him. "I mean, why is Quinn in New York and why does everyone want to speak to me?"

"Finn, it's simple." Santana said. "We're here to stop you from getting married to Rachel."

"What?" Finn didn't understand what was going on.

"Look, we're not saying to never get married to her." Quinn patted Finn's hand while looking into his eyes. "We're just saying maybe you should wait a little bit before you two do decide to get married. I mean, I figured you would have learned from what happened in High School…"

"But that's just it. We're not in High School anymore." Finn explained. "I mean, we're in College now. I'm staring a brand new life with Rachel. We're in New York and there's nothing stopping us now."

"But you can't marry Rachel now, Finn." Kurt sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Why?" Finn asked. Santana, Quinn and Kurt looked at one another, staring back at Finn in confusion. "Everyone is saying I can't marry Rachel. Give me one good reason why I can't?"

"Mathematically speaking, divorce rates happen at an alarming rate before you're 21." Quinn said.

"That's not going to be me and Rachel." Finn shook his head, staring over at Quinn, Santana and Kurt. "I mean, everyone keeps saying that we're too young yet you have people in different countries getting married at 16."

"Finn, there's different rules in different countries and those were different times." Kurt said.

"Guys…I don't get it. Everyone always says that when you want something you fight for it. Why can't I fight to marry my girlfriend?" Finn ran a hand through his hair as Quinn let out a sad sigh.

"Finn, I know this is something that you want but you have to be realistic here…there's no way that you and Rachel could possibly be happy in New York as a young married couple." Quinn said. "Think about it, there's temptation everywhere. What if Rachel has a Broadway producer and he won't give her the job unless he gets something out of it? What if you had a dance teacher and she wouldn't pass you unless she got something out of it. Do you really think that you two can fight the temptation even though it meant that your dreams were on the line?"

"There are a million other Broadway productions and I would never cheat and sleep with someone else just for a grade." Finn was beginning to become annoyed. "Rachel and I wouldn't do that to one another. I love her and she loves me."

"Finn, what would mom and dad say about you marrying Rachel?" Kurt sighed. "I mean, they love Rachel but…you wanting to marry her because you think you know what you're doing is kind of being stubborn."

"Everyone wants a direct answer on why I want to marry Rachel?! Fine, here it is!" Finn got up from the sofa, looking at Quinn, Kurt and Santana. "I. Love. Her. That's it. That's the reason I want to marry her! Okay? That's it!"

"Are you sure it has nothing to do with the pregnancy scare?" Santana blurted out. Kurt and Quinn widened their eyes towards Finn, seeing that Finn was giving Santana a glare.

"What pregnancy scare is she talking about, Finn?" Kurt asked. Finn ran his hand through his hair, staring over at his brother. He let out a sigh, relenting as he told the truth.

"Rachel had a pregnancy scare." Finn admitted. "I mean, she was so scared…and she thought that I was going to leave her if she really was pregnant…I wasn't going to leave her but I don't think that she believed me. I guess a part of a reason that I proposed to her was because I wanted her to know that no matter what happens to her…I'll be there for her. I'm not going to go anywhere, and it would have to take a force of nature or someone killing me to prevent me from being there for her. I'm also worried that I could lose her, you know? New York is such a big city…and there are a lot of hot guys that Rachel could fall in love with. It's…something that I don't want to think about." Finn sat back down on the sofa, burying his face in his hands. Finn felt tears come to his eyes at the thought of losing Rachel. "I don't know what I'd do without her." Kurt had never seen Finn so vulnerable before, and neither had Santana or Quinn. Quinn got up from her spot on the sofa and sat next to Finn.

"Finn…Rachel is not going to leave you for some random guy, okay?" Quinn assured him. "She loves you…I can tell. But just proposing to her because you're insecure means that you don't trust her."

"I didn't do it just because I was insecure." Finn muttered. "I did it because I really do love her…and I don't want to lose her. I can't picture my life without her anymore." Quinn and Finn glanced at one another as tears streamed down Finns' face. "So I'm going to marry her…because I love her and the last thing I want is to see her with someone else who's not going to love her for her." Quinn wiped the tears off Finn's face, giving him a small smile.

"Finn…you're not going to lose her." Quinn whispered. "She loves you so much. I don't think you know how much." Finn continued to stare at Quinn, finally wiping his own tears and giving them a serious expression.

"I'm still going to marry her." Finn said. "There's nothing you guys can say in order to prevent me from marrying her."

"Finn…" Santana softly said but Finn got up from the sofa.

"No." Finn shook his head. "All my life people have been telling me 'Finn, what you're doing is the wrong thing.' 'Finn you're too young.' 'Finn, you don't know what you're doing.' Well I just want the whole world to stop for a second. I'm tired of telling people I can't do things because frankly, they don't give me a good enough reason as to why I can't. Call me stupid, stubborn, I don't care. But I'm doing what's right for me. If I want to marry Rachel, I will…so thanks for the 'intervention', but I don't want to hear another word as to why I shouldn't marry the girl I love more than I love myself." Finn turned away from them, heading to the bedroom and slamming the door. Quinn, Santana, Kurt and Dani sat there in the living room in silence, surprised that they didn't hear anything come from the bedroom.

"Wow, no kicking chairs?" Quinn sounded surprised. Kurt put a hand up, staring to the door.

"Wait for it." Kurt said. A moment later, they heard a kick of a stool and the stool falling on the floor. "There's the Finn Hudson we know."

"Guys, do you think that you're being just a little bit unfair towards him?" Dani wondered.

"What do you mean that we're being unfair towards him?" Santana asked Dani. "I mean, Finn wanting to marry Rachel is kind of…"

"Something you do when you're in love." Dani continued to keep her gaze to Santana as she spoke. "Finn's in love with Rachel, and he's not going to stop until he gets what he wants. He wants to be with her, he wants to make sure that she's loved. Honestly, if we look at it that way, what's wrong with that?"

"They're too young to get married." Quinn answered, shaking her head. "There's nothing wrong with loving each other but they're going to make a serious commitment. They can't just walk away after a huge fight. This is something that's sacred."

"When you get married, that's it." Kurt added. "I mean, there is divorce but that's just what Hollywood is doing. If you can't work out your problems, they throw the divorce card out there."

"And then you have young Hollywood stars being engaged when they're like in their twenties which is still young. I mean what about that guy from One Direction? Or the guy from Big Time Rush?" Santana said. "They're engaged way too young. Being in your 20's and in a marriage doesn't mean it's going to last."

"But it could." Dani said. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to disagree here but I think that Finn and Rachel can prove everyone wrong and last until they're old and grey. You have to believe in the power of love sometimes. Sure, people think that love doesn't exist, but I'm one of those people that believe love exists. True love is out there and if Finn believes that he found true love then…we should be supporting him, not trying to tear down his decision. Look, I know none of you are thrilled about this and I know I only knew Finn for five seconds but…I think Finn belongs with Rachel. No one else." They continued to eye Dani, realizing that maybe Dani had a point…however, Kurt, Santana and Quinn had to think that maybe Finn was still too young for marriage. It wasn't right. But then again, in a society that they lived in where being gay and being lesbian was okay…could marrying young also be all right?

* * *

Finn and Rachel made their way to the NYADA auditorium after school the next afternoon while Rachel was telling Finn about the new recruit she found at _Callbacks_ the day before. Rachel was still unsure if she should have let Simone enter the Glee Club, but Rachel had to admit that they needed someone who actually had the vocals to carry the team to the Regional Championships.

"Simone Barberrie." Finn looked down at Simone's file while Rachel walked alongside him. "And you found her at _Callbacks_."

"Yeah. She has star quality…I think." Rachel nodded her head as Finn chuckled. "I mean she signed the whole entire performance sheet, her handwriting took up the whole page."

"Yikes, all she was missing was the gold star." Finn chuckled, still looking at the paper. "Simone Barberrie…hmm…she sounds like she's right for Glee Club. What did she sing at _Callbacks_."

"Well she forced me to go on the stage with her to sing…we sang _Feeling Good _by Nina Simone." Rachel answered.

"Do you think she was named after Nina Simone or something?" Finn wondered. "Kind of like how you were named after Barbra Streisand?"

"My middle name, baby. I was named after Rachel from _F.R.I.E.N.D.S_." Rachel corrected playfully before her face turned serious. "I think she sings better than me…I mean, she has this voice that if she sang Mariah Carey it would blow the entire place away."

"You're not going to send her to a crack house because her voice sounds great, are you?" Finn half joked as Rachel shook her head.

"No, we're not doing the whole Sunshine thing again." Rachel answered. "Besides, my position in the Glee Club isn't threatened. I'm your wingman…or woman."

"That's my girl." Finn smiled as he pressed a kiss to Rachel's lips. "You know Rachel, you have really become such a caring, selfless human being. Everyone in that Glee Club _loves_ you. I…" Finn stopped in his tracks as he turned to Rachel, giving her a loving smile. "I'm proud of you…"

"For what?" Rachel shook her head, not seeing what had Finn full of pride.

"I'm proud of you every time I look at you and you do selfless things and how much you love and care for stuff." Finn grabbed her hand, still looking her eyes. "I'm just…proud of you every day." Rachel smiled as she leaned up to kiss Finn.

"Well I could say the same thing for you." Rachel whispered into his ear.

"Really?" Finn asked, holding his folders close to him.

"Really." Rachel nodded her head. "I mean look at what you've done since you got here? You've got this confidence that nothing than break you and you can do anything. And the fact that you are gentlemen…and a true man. I mean during my scare you swore you would stand by my side no matter what. I was skeptical at first because every movie I've seen the first guy runs away when something goes wrong…not you though. You stood there and you stayed throughout. I love you Finn…I really, really love you. I think I love you more than I love myself."

"Funny, that's what I told Santana, Kurt and Quinn." Finn said. "That I love you more than I love myself."

"Quinn?" Rachel seemed a bit confused. Quinn wasn't at the loft when Rachel came home that afternoon. Quinn didn't want Rachel to know that she went to New York on Santana and Kurt's insistence to try to talk Finn out of a wedding.

"Yeah…she was there for a bit." Finn said.

"Oh, what was she there for?" Rachel wondered.

"Um, she came to visit Santana and Kurt or something like that…" Finn lied slightly. Rachel was able to see right through him, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Finn…she went to see _you_ didn't she?" Rachel asked. "What did she want?" Finn sighed, running a hand through his hair, still staring at Rachel.

"She…was summoned by Kurt and Santana and they tried to discuss how I shouldn't marry you so young." Finn admitted. Finn then began to feel rage as he felt tears come to his eyes. "I am TIRED of everyone telling me what is good for me. I made the choice to propose to you…so why is everyone acting like proposing when they're young is a foreign concept?"

"Finn, what did Santana, Kurt and Quinn say to you?" Rachel was beginning to feel upset as well.

"They're like that I'm not thinking if I marry you young but I _know_ that we're going to be right for each other!" Finn walked over to Rachel, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I know it. I'm 1000% sure that you're the one for me."

"You know percentage goes up to only 100, right?" Rachel cracked a small joke to get Finn smile. After realizing what Rachel was doing, Finn wrapped her into a hug, releasing a smile.

"What would I do without you, Rachel?" Finn laughed into her hair as Rachel hugged him tightly.

"Look, why does it matter what anyone else thinks?" Rachel stared at him. "In the end the decision is going to come between me and you. We know that we're right for each other, so don't let anyone else tell you that we're not right. You're my moose."

"It's muse." Finn corrected her still smiling at her.

"I know. I just wanted to see you smile." Rachel said as Finn hugged her once more. "I love you Finn, and I don't want anyone to tell you otherwise. We're getting married…no matter what."

"I'm sorry Rachel…" Finn apologized, feeling guilty for lying earlier.

"It's okay…" Rachel assured him, pressing a kiss to his lips. "Remember that I love you…and I don't want to ever lose you. Okay?" Finn nodded his head, leading Rachel to the NYADA auditorium. Realizing that no one was there yet, Finn started to set up his class for the day while Rachel looked around the room. Rachel heard the band playing behind her as she turned around, realizing that Finn was standing on the stage with his hands in his pockets, giving Rachel the widest smile in the entire world.

_[Finn]  
This time, I wonder what it feels like  
To find the one in this life, the one we all dream of  
But dreams just aren't big enough  
So I'll be waiting for the real thing, I'll know it by the feeling  
The moment when we're meeting, will play out like a scene  
Straight off the silver screen  
So I'll be holding my breath, right up til the end  
Until that moment, I find the one that I'll spend forever with_

_{Rachel walks up to the stage as Finn continues singing and looking at her with a smile}_

_[Finn]  
Cause nobody wants to be the last one there  
Cause everyone wants to feel like someone cares  
Someone to love with my life in their hands  
There's gotta be somebody for me like that  
Cause nobody wants to go at it on their own (Rachel: On their own)  
And everyone wants to know they're not alone (Rachel: Not alone)  
There's somebody else that feels the same somewhere (Rachel: same somewhere)  
There's gotta be somebody for me out there_

_{Rachel gets on the stage as she smiles at Finn as they stand and start singing together}_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
Tonight, out on the street, out in the moonlight  
And damn this just feels too right, it's just like déjà vu  
Me standing here with you  
So I'll be holding my breath, could this be the end  
Is this the moment when, I find the one that I'll spend forever with_

_{Finn and Rachel starts waltzing across the stage as Rachel looks into Finn's eyes}_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
Cause nobody wants to be the last one there  
Cause everyone wants to feel like someone cares  
Someone to love with my life in their hands  
There's gotta be somebody for me like that  
Cause nobody wants to go at it on their own (Rachel: On their own)  
And everyone wants to know they're not alone (Rachel: Not alone)  
There's somebody else that feels the same somewhere (Rachel: same somewhere)  
There's gotta be somebody for me out there_

_{Finn twirls Rachel and holds her close to him as she smiles at him}_

_[Finn]  
Oooh, we can't give up  
When you're looking for the diamond in the rough  
you never know when he shows up  
Cause it could be the one, the one you're waiting on_

_Cause nobody wants to be the last one there  
And everyone wants to feel like someone cares  
Someone to love with my life in their hands  
There's gotta be somebody for me, oh!_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
Nobody wants to go it on their own  
And everyone wants to know they're not alone  
There's somebody else that feels the same somewhere  
There's gotta be somebody for me out there  
Nobody wants to be the last one there  
Cause everyone else wants to feel like someone cares  
There's somebody else that feels the same somewhere  
There's gotta be somebody for me out there_

_{Song ends with Rachel giving Finn a kiss as Finn hugs her tightly with a smile}_

Finn and Rachel parted their lips after a few moments, Rachel still staring into Finn's eyes with a smile.

"I don't think I have to wonder where that somebody is." Rachel said still looking at Finn. "I think I found him."

"And I think I found _her_." Finn put a hand on Rachel's hand, still giving her a smile. "It's you…" Rachel leaned in to give Finn another kiss until—

"ACHEM." A voice said that separated them. Rachel saw Simone standing there with a folder, staring at the both of them. As Rachel felt her cheeks turn red, Finn had to wonder who this girl was?

"Oh, Finn…this is Simone." Rachel said as she pointed towards Simone. Simone smirked then headed up to the stage as she shook Finn's hands.

"You must be the ever so dashing Finn Hudson." Simone said as Finn found himself blushing. "You're going to make sure that I get the leads in songs that we perform in Glee Club and I helped you by putting together a folder with all of my best songs, in my key." Finn took the gigantic folder, his eyes widening as he looked through every song possible. "I also am looking forward to working with you and I am sure that you're looking forward to working with me." Simone winked to Finn, walking past both Finn and Rachel as Rachel began to feel uncomfortable. Rachel turned back to Simone as Finn nodded his head.

"Um, that sounds…great Simone." Finn nodded his head as Simone looked to the pianist.

"Now if you must excuse me, I must warm up my voice." Simone said. "My voice has to sound perfect if I'm going to impress my fellow Glee-clubbers…you can stay if you want _Finn_." Rachel's eyes widened as Finn shrugged his shoulders, taking a seat in one of the stools that were on the stage and watched Simone as she did her scales. Finn had to admit that her scales were pitch-perfect, and she did sound like a mini-Mariah Carey. Rachel realized Finn was looking impressed with Simone, feeling her eyes furrowing towards Simone. Who did Simone think she was, coming into a Glee Club and telling everyone that she was going to get all the solos in Glee Club, thinking she was the star…she didn't earn anything _yet_.

"Wow…Rachel, she sounds amazing." Finn rubbed Rachel's back, giving her a proud smile. "You did a great job, babe."

"Yeah…she's…sure…something." Rachel shrugged her shoulders, still staring over at Simone who was still doing her scales.

"You know…she kind of reminds me a little bit of you." Finn said as Rachel continued to see Simone finishing her last set of scales.

"What? She's nothing like me." Rachel scoffed as Finn shrugged his shoulders with an amused smile.

"I don't know, babe." Finn continued to look at Simone who finished her scales. "She's special. She has a special voice that could get us to Sectionals." Finn got up from the stool, clapping his hands as he walked over to Simone. "Simone, wow! That was amazing!"

"Thank you, Finn." Simone's voice _oozed_ of sweetness as she smiled at Finn. Rachel grumbled under her breath as she rolled her eyes while Finn shook his head in disbelief.

"That was wow…amazing." Finn noticed the other Glee Club members entering the room as they stopped in their tracks to see Simone on the stage.

"What is Simone doing here?" Dustin asked while Vicky crossed her arms towards Finn.

"Guys…meet your new female lead of the _Finn Harmonics_." Finn pointed to Simone as Simone smirked over to the rest of the group.

"Finn, you can't be serious." Melissa said in disbelief. "I thought the Glee Club was to have everyone featured in the club."

"Well, it is but for the big finale numbers, we're going to use Simone." Finn said. "Look guys, I know what I'm doing. A great show choir focuses on a powerful singer and everyone revolves around that. It's going to work, trust me."

"Who gave you that advice?" Rachel shook her head, feeling the jealousy get to her. "Jesse St. James?"

"I had to learn something from him." Finn shrugged his shoulders, oblivious to Rachel's jealousy. "So come on, let's get in here and start warming up our voices. Maybe Simone can lead the group through scales or something." Rachel began to feel her heart sink a little, watching Finn interact with Simone—and the look that Simone was giving Finn made Rachel realize that in this situation…she felt like Quinn, who could only stand on the side while someone else tried to move in on their man.

* * *

Rachel stood in front of the mirror in the NYADA bathroom, trying to fix her makeup as she let out a sigh. She didn't know what was the issue with Simone, but it seemed like Simone had it out for her, and she was trying to take Finn away. It was clear that Finn was blown away by Simone's vocals, but again Finn was probably excited that the team had a chance to actually make it to the Sectional Championships. But if Finn really wanted to go to Sectionals, why didn't he have Rachel join the club? Rachel noticed the bathroom door opening, Simone entering with a hairbrush to brush her brown hair. Simone took one look at Rachel, then went back to the mirror as she started brushing the strands of hair. Rachel had to figure she was being silly. Finn wasn't going to fall in love with Simone just because of her voice. Besides, Finn had already proposed to her and it was clear that Finn wanted to marry Rachel. Rachel decided to be the bigger person in this situation, giving Simone one of her 'Rachel Berry smiles'.

"Wow Simone, you sounded great in Glee Club today." Rachel said. Simone let out a fake smile back towards Rachel, still brushing her brown hair.

"Of course I sounded great. Why do you sound so surprised?" Simone scoffed. "As a matter of fact, I think Finn was really interested in my singing. I think he's totally cute."

"Well it doesn't matter what you think of Finn." Rachel shrugged her shoulders, showing her engagement ring to Simone. "Finn and I are getting married, so whatever little plan you have of trying to seduce him isn't going to work."

"But you're not married yet." Simone smirked, looking to Rachel. "And as a matter of fact, I don't think that an engagement ring is anything to flaunt about. I mean, Finn can _always_ change his mind."

"He _won't_ change his mind." Rachel was becoming angry with Simone, unsure what was going on here. "Look, I don't know what makes you think that you can have Finn…"

"Because Finn is hot and he's actually doing something with that stupid Glee Club. He now gives us a chance of winning by making me the lead. Oh Rachel…don't be sad." Simone feigned sympathy as she turned to Rachel with a smirk. "I'll be his leading lady in the choir room…_and_ the bedroom soon enough." Simone turned away and left the bathroom as Rachel looked sick to her stomach. Rachel leaned against the sink, feeling dejected. What if Simone was right…what if Simone was able to get Finn's heart? Rachel had a lot of questions in her mind, and the first one was the value of love in the engagement ring she was wearing.

* * *

Rachel entered the loft holding some shopping bags from the supermarket as she spotted Finn on his laptop, skimming through something. Rachel started to head to the kitchen without saying a word to him, but Finn looked up, noticing that Rachel wasn't entirely happy.

"Hey Rachel?" Finn got up from the sofa to head to the kitchen where Rachel was putting away the groceries. "Hey, do you want some help with that?"

"Are you sure that you're not too busy thinking of ways to make _Simone_ the star of the Glee Club?" Rachel bitterly said as Finn realized what was bothering her. Rachel kept her face away from Finn, but Finn walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her.

"Please calm down…" Finn whispered into Rachel's ear, pressing a kiss to her temple. "What's wrong, baby?"

"It's just…" Rachel became frustrated as she felt tears steam down her cheeks. "Simone…she's…and…she's so difficult and…I…" Rachel turned around and started sobbing into Finn's chest. Finn rubbed her back, staring down at his fiancée. Even when she was upset or jealous, she was still so beautiful.

"Explain to me what's wrong, Rachel." Finn softly said with a hint of concern. "Something's wrong…"

"It's…" Rachel wiped her tears, looking up at Finn. "She's trying to get you to love her. She has a crush on you…and she told me that my engagement ring meant nothing and that you could always change your mind and…"

"Rachel…" Finn softly said, looking into her eyes. "I'm not going to change my mind. Not for even a _second_."

"You say that now, Finn but this is New York." Rachel stressed. "There's going to be a lot of this temptation and…I trust you but…what if she tries to pull something?"

"Nothing is going to happen between Simone and me, all right?" Finn assured her, giving Rachel a small smile. "Yes she sings like Mariah Carey and it's really, really pretty…but you sing like an _angel_ and it's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard in my entire life. Besides, I didn't fall in love with you because of your voice if that's what you're thinking."

"Then why did you fall in love with me?" Rachel wondered, staring into Finn's eyes. Finn continued to look into Rachel's eyes as he led her over to the couch.

"I fell in love with you because you are the most beautiful, amazing girl in the entire world. When you want something, you do whatever it takes to get it, and you won't stop no matter how hard it is. You're so determined, you're so passionate, you don't take no for an answer, you have the talents to take you wherever you want but you chose to be with me…I'm the one that should be wondering why you fell in love with me." Finn felt his voice soften as he continued to stare at Rachel. "I constantly seem to mess up and sometimes it's because of me that you're crying…if I made you feel upset in anyway today, I am so sorry…I love _you_ Rachel and I don't love anyone else. Nothing is going to come between us….you just have to stop guarding your heart so much and just trust me. Do you trust me?" Rachel looked at him with a small smile, looking into his eyes.

"What?" Rachel asked after a moment, still looking into his eyes.

"I said, 'do you trust me?'" Finn asked, holding his hand out for Rachel to take. Rachel knew she couldn't stay mad at Finn for long. She grabbed his hand as Finn pulled her closer to him, sitting her on his lap as he pressed a kiss on her lips. "Rachel…I promise you that one day, that engagement ring is going to turn to a wedding ring…and that's going to mean that you're mine for the rest of my life."

"I thought I already was yours for the rest of your life." Rachel grinned as Finn chuckled.

"Yes, yes you are…but it would be official and legal." Finn said as Rachel ran a hand through Finn's hair with a smirk.

"You know you quoted _Aladdin_ with the whole 'do you trust me' thing, right?" Rachel chuckled. "For a guy who doesn't watch cartoons, you sure knew that one." Finn smiled to Rachel, putting a hand in her lap.

"Yeah, because I actually watched it." Finn said. "I then also the commercial Kurt was talking about! The one with the Lucky Charms!" Rachel laughed at Finn's childlike wonder, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"I love you, Finn." Rachel simply said.

"I love you too, Rachel." Finn pressed a kiss to her lips as Rachel wrapped her arms around his neck. Finn and Rachel stood in that same position for hours as they both watched television. Being in Finn's arms made Rachel realize that Simone could do whatever she wanted to try to get Finn, but in the end Finn belonged to her. Finn didn't have feelings for Simone—but Rachel was still going to have to keep an eye on Simone, just to be certain that she wasn't going to try anything funny…

_{Scene stays with Finn and Rachel as they sit on the couch as Rachel leans her head on Finn's shoulder with a grin}_

_[Rachel]  
Heart beats fast  
Colors and promises  
How to be brave  
How can I love when I'm  
Afraid to fall  
But watching you stand alone  
All of my doubt  
Suddenly goes away somehow_

_[Rachel with Finn]  
One step closer_

_{Scene changes to Rachel and Finn's bedroom as she sits on the bed and Finn walks in to see rose petals leading to her. Finn smiles and runs over to Rachel as he kisses her passionately}_

_[Rachel]  
I have died everyday  
Waiting for you  
Darling don't be afraid  
I have loved you for a thousand years  
I'll love you for a thousand more_

_{Scene changes to Finn walking along the NYADA hallways and spotting Rachel coming out of her class as he walks over and kisses Rachel with Simone watching jealously}_

_[Finn]  
Time stands still  
Beauty in all she is_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
I will be brave  
I will not let anything take_

_[Finn]  
Away what's standing in front _

_[Finn and Rachel]  
Of me  
Every breath, every hour has come to this_

_One step closer_

_{Scene changes to Finn and Rachel sitting at the kitchen table as Finn throws a popcorn at her playfully and Rachel grins at him. Rachel takes a popcorn from the bowl and throws it at him as Finn laughs along with Rachel. Santana and Kurt stare at them from the kitchen and start thinking over what they had told Finn earlier about not marrying Rachel young}_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
I have died everyday  
Waiting for you  
Darling don't be afraid  
I have loved you for a thousand years  
I'll love you for a thousand more  
And all along I believed I would find you  
Time has brought your heart to me  
I have loved you for a thousand years  
I'll love you for a thousand more_

_{Scene changes to Finn entering the house, looking upset as she turns around and sees Rachel standing there with her arms open. Finn walks over to her arms and hugs her tightly as Rachel looks into his eyes with a smile. Finn smiles back at her and Rachel kisses him}_

_[Rachel and Finn]  
One step closer_

_[Rachel]  
I have died everyday  
Waiting for you  
Darling don't be afraid  
I have loved you for a thousand years  
I'll love you for a thousand more_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
And all along I believed I would find you  
Time has brought your heart to me  
I have loved you for a thousand years  
I'll love you for a thousand more_

_I will love you, a thousand years_

_{Scene ends with Finn and Rachel sleeping in their bed and Finn's arms wrapped around Rachel's body as they both have a content smile on their face}_

* * *

_**GUEST STARRING**_

_**Ariana Grande as Simone Barberrie**_

_**Victoria Justice as Vicky Martinez**_

_**Jesse McCartney as Dustin Shafer**_

_**Olesya Rulin as Melissa Stewart**_

_**Cassadee Pope as Celina Jones**_

_**Demi Lovato as Dani**_

_**Dianna Agron as Quinn Fabray**_

_**SONG(S): **_

_**Feeling Good (Originally by Nina Simone [Carly Rose Sonenclar Version]): Performed by Rachel Berry and Simone Barberrie**_

_**Gotta Be Somebody (Originally by Nickleback): Performed by Finn Hudson and Rachel Berry**_

_**A Thousand Years (Originally by Christina Perri): Performed by Rachel Berry and Finn Hudson**_


	9. 1x09: I'm With You

**_Episode Synopsis:_**_ Kurt and Rachel fly to Lima, only for Kurt to get life changing news about his father, Burt (**Mike O'Malley**). Meanwhile, Simone continues with her advances towards Finn, leaving Finn in a state of guilt._

**_Absent:_**_ Naya Rivera as Santana Lopez_

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I do not own Glee, but I wish I did. Enjoy the episode everyone (you might need some tissue, maybe, you never know). _

* * *

_{Simone walks through the hallway and spots Finn and Rachel talking , smiling at one another as Simone shakes her head}_

_**Simone's POV:**_

_When I was five, my mother and I accidentally found out my talent and passion for singing. She first heard me sing at my brother's birthday party in front of all of his friends. She noted that the little girl with the big powerhouse voice captivated my brother's friends immediately. That was when she told me that one day, I was going to make it big…I was going to be a star. She introduced me to Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Cher, Celine Dion, Madonna and so many other influential artists that were in my time but most of all I emulated Mariah. Mariah never took anything from anybody! She was the ultimate diva and made sure that she made her place in the world. I took three hour lessons so that my voice was pitch perfect, which was what ultimately led me to being in NYADA. We didn't have a Glee Club in my High School but we did have choir and I was the best singer in my class. I anticipated coming here and honing my skills, showing everyone that I was better than everyone else—until I bumped into little Ms. Broadway: Rachel Berry. _

_Rachel Berry had a voice that reminded me of Barbra Streisand. Rachel was elegant, she was beautiful, she had one of the most down to earth and hot guys on campus. She was everything that I wished that I could be—but I could never let her know that. Rachel was someone that was a threat to me. She could easily take me out during the Freshman Reaping and she would _kill_ my chance in getting into the coveted Winter Showcase. She may be talented but I had something on the advantage. I had heart. I wanted to know more about Rachel, so I did my research._

_{Scene changes to Simone in the library, looking at Rachel on the screen}_

_She was on the Glee Club the New Directions and it was because of her rendition of 'It's All Coming Back To Me Now' that New Directions clinched the title. Rachel was able to convince Carmen Tibideaux into giving her a second chance then, so what would have stopped her now? Rachel Berry had to be stopped, and I had to find a way how. I just couldn't let Rachel get whatever she wanted and step on me. It was time to take out Rachel Berry…and there was no way that I was going to let her get the fame and glory of NYADA. There was only one thing to do…take away the one thing that Rachel really cares about: Finn Hudson._

* * *

"All right Glee Club!" Finn clapped his hands while the Glee club watched Finn standing in front of them. "So we really need to get serious about Sectionals and I thought of the perfect thing to make us unique from the other competition…" Finn looked excited as Rachel gave him a thumb up. "All right…we're going sing songs from the 80's…in foreign languages!" Everyone gave Finn a look as if he was insane.

"Really? Foreign languages?" Vicky scoffed while the other stared at Finn.

"Finn, not that your idea isn't good but it's..." Dustin tried to find the right words to say.

"It's terrible." Vicky spat out. "It's the worst idea I've ever heard in my entire life."

"I don't think it was that bad." Simone countered, giving Finn a moon-eyed gaze. Rachel cleared her throat, sending Simone a glare as Simone ignored Rachel. Finn looked to Rachel as she shrugged her shoulders.

"All right, um…fine if someone can come up with a better idea, then please tell me." Finn said. "I'm stuck because I've been spending all night trying to come up with a theme."

"Well then think again." Vicky smirked.

"Do you want to think of an idea, Vicky?" Finn stared over at Vicky with steely eyes. "Because you think that you can come up with a better idea than me."

"You're the one that signed up for the Glee Club." Vicky retorted. Finn rubbed his temples, looking back to Rachel who gave him a small smile. Just staring at Rachel made Finn feel more at ease. Finn softly nodded his head to Rachel, plastering a smile and looking back to them.

"All right…well we have some time, so I'll think of something." Finn told the Glee members. Finn looked down to his watch, finally letting out a sigh. Glee Club was over. "All right guys, um we'll pick it up where we left off tomorrow. I'll continue thinking about what we're going to sing." Everyone got up from their seats, making their way towards the exit but Simone stopped short, staring over at Finn looking frustrated and Rachel walking up to him, rubbing his shoulders. As Simone continued to gaze over at Finn, Vicky caught Simone's glance, shaking her head furiously.

"You know that Finn is with Rachel, so stop pining over him." Vicky crossed her arms, staring at Simone. "I honestly don't see what you see in Finn anyway."

"Finn will be mine." Simone softly said, turning away from Vicky. "Even if it means that I have to get Rachel out of the picture." Vicky watched Simone leave the room, her turning her head back towards Finn and Rachel before leaving the auditorium herself.

* * *

"I just don't know Rachel…" Finn sat on the loft couch that night while Rachel and Kurt joined him, watching an episode of _X-Factor_. "I mean, what we're going to sing for the Sectional Championships. Everything I suggested to them sounds bad. I thought the foreign languages thing was going to stick."

"Remember Finn, Mr. Schuester felt the same way with us." Kurt explained as Rachel and Finn turned to Kurt. "It's going to take some time but you're going to find your calling on what they're going to do. You're smart, you'll figure it out."

"Kurt's right, Finn." Rachel agreed wrapping her blanket around him so that they were both snuggled in the blanket. "Look, just forget about Glee Club tonight and watch _X-Factor_. I mean, it's not every night we spend our night in front of the T.V."

"Okay Rachel, that's enough." Kurt half joked as Finn pressed a kiss to Rachel's cheek. Kurt, Rachel and Finn turned when they heard the home telephone ring, wondering who was calling at this time of the evening. "I'll get it. Finn, can I trust you to behave yourself while I go get the phone?"

"I don't know, can you?" Finn slyly asked as Kurt got up for the telephone. Kurt walked over to the phone, grabbing it as he let out a smile.

"Hello? BHHL residence." Kurt smiled into the phone.

"BHHL?" Finn whispered to Rachel.

"_Berry-Hudson-Hummel-Lopez_." Rachel explained softly as Rachel noticed Kurt's expression change from chipper to confusion.

"What? Um…okay, I'll get on the first plane there. All right…I'll see you tomorrow." Kurt hung up the phone, feeling a bit in shock. Kurt walked towards his room while Rachel and Finn looked disordered.

"Kurt aren't you going to watch T.V.?" Finn became worried seeing his brother going into his room.

"Um, no…no thanks." Kurt mumbled, closing the door to the room. Rachel and Finn looked to one another as Rachel got out of the blanket.

"I'm going to go and talk to him, okay?" Rachel softly said as Finn nodded his head. Rachel placed a quick kiss on Finn's lips, then headed towards Kurt's room, knocking on the door slowly. "Kurt…it's Rachel? Can I please come in?" Rachel heard the door unlock as she entered inside, staring into the room and spotting Kurt sitting there, looking at a photo album. Rachel closed the door behind her, walking over to him sadly. "Are you okay, Kurt?"

"Um, yeah…" Kurt softly said, however he knew that he couldn't lie to Rachel. Rachel gazed at him, causing Kurt to wipe his eyes. "I just got a call from my step-mom…Carole."

"Finn's mom?" Rachel sat down next to Kurt, gazing into his eyes. "What? What happened? Is something wrong with your dad?"

"I don't know, but she said that I had to go to Lima because what they're going to say is serious." Kurt said. "Oh god, Rachel what if they're getting a divorce? What if my dad lost his job! What if they lost their home and they want to move in the loft! Not only would I have to deal with you and Finn shacking it up in your room but also…my dad." Kurt shuddered at the last part as Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Kurt, you're over exaggerating." Rachel said. "Look, if you're worried about your parents then I'll go with you to Lima."

"You'd really leave the luxurious lifestyle of New York, your beloved fiancé and the shopping to go to boring old Lima with me?" Kurt wondered. Rachel nodded her head, wrapping her arms around Kurt.

"Of course I would go with you to Lima." Rachel assured him. "If it's anything out there, and I'm not saying it will be…I want to be there for you."

"Rachel Berry you are a saint." Kurt smiled, hugging Rachel tightly. "Now, I have to get us some tickets to Lima, Ohio. You need to pack." Rachel nodded her head, getting up from her position as she headed to the door. "We're going to be in Lima a couple of days so make sure you bring something that's chic."

"Oh of course, Kurt." Rachel smiled to him, leaving the room and heading towards her room. Rachel entered her room, grabbing her suitcase as she started piling things inside it. Finn entered the room, staring at Rachel in misperception.

"Are you running away from me?" Finn asked. Rachel knew that Finn was joking, turning her head slightly to him.

"Um, Kurt said that your mom called and it had to do with Burt." Rachel explained. Finn's eyes widened slightly as he walked over to her.

"Oh my god, um…is Burt okay? Should I pack or something?" Finn was beginning to worry. Rachel wrapped her arms around Finn's neck, staring into his eyes.

"No you don't need to pack. I'm just going with Kurt for support. We're not sure what's wrong with Burt yet but trust me, we will find out what's going on." Rachel looked into Finn's eyes as Finn let out a smirk.

"Am I going to have to stay here all by myself in the loft?" Finn wondered. "I mean, I don't want to be alone."

"You won't be alone." Rachel smiled to him. "Santana will be here. Besides, I'm only going to be gone for a couple of days and you have to think about what your Glee Club is going to do for the Sectional Championships. I'm sure that you can think of something babe."

"Yeah, I think I can…it's just…" Finn wrapped his arms around Rachel's waist as he put his forehead to hers. "I just don't want you to leave. I know it's only a couple of days but…I don't wanna think about it. I don't want to think about sleeping in a bed without you. I got used to you sleeping by my side."

"I'm going to miss you too." Rachel put a hand on Finn's cheek. "But you can call me whenever you want. Look, Kurt needs someone right now. And since you're doing the Glee Club and Santana is working at the art gallery, I'm going to help him. Kurt's my best friend."

"I know he is and I'm so glad you're helping him." Finn smiled towards his fiancée. "Can you just do me one favor?"

"Sure, what's that?" Rachel noticed Finn leaning closer to her lips, letting out a small smirk.

"Can you just promise that whatever happens, you're going to tell me what's going on with Burt? I mean, he's like a dad to me since I know little about my real dad." Finn requested. Rachel figured Finn did have the right to know about Burt, and she saw no harm in letting him know.

"Of course, baby." Rachel kissed Finn as the couple stood there for a moment. Rachel parted her lips, turning away towards him as she started packing her things. "I just hope that everything with Burt is okay."

* * *

"Yes, we're on our way to your mom's place." Rachel was on the phone talking to Finn as she and Kurt walked the streets of Lima towards Kurt's house. Rachel was glad that she was talking to Finn, but it was killing her that he was miles away from her in New York. "I promise I'll let you know everything as soon as I find everything out. Aww…you are the sweetest." Kurt rolled his eyes at Rachel's talk to Finn, wanting to throw up. "I love you, Finn…aww…you hang up. No you hang up. No you hang up." After a moment, Kurt grabbed Rachel's phone, placing it to his ear.

"No, how about I hang up." Kurt then hung up the phone, staring over at Rachel.

"Ouch, that wasn't a very nice way to end the conversation." Rachel said to her friend as he sighed.

"You're right, I'm sorry Rachel." Kurt apologized, looking frightened once again. "It's just that…how am I supposed to deal with what's going on right now? I'm in a loop here."

"Don't worry, Kurt…everything is going to be fine." Rachel assured him, wrapping her arms around him. "And if everything isn't fine, you still have me, Finn and Santana."

"Yeah, I know…" Kurt sighed, reaching the front door. "All right, time to face facts." Kurt knocked on the door, standing there for a moment until Carole opened it. She looked at Rachel and Kurt, releasing a grin as she hugged her stepson.

"Oh Kurt, I'm so glad to see you." Carole looked into his eyes. "And Rachel, it's been so long." Rachel walked over and hugged Carole tightly. "Both of you, come in, come in." Rachel pulled her suitcase into the house while Kurt placed his duffle bag on the floor, both of them staring over at Carole. "Kurt, you can sleep in your old bedroom and Rachel, you can sleep in Finn's old bedroom. Hmm, I still have to call him. I haven't gotten in touch with him since he was in the army."

"Wait…you don't know where Finn is?" Kurt asked as Rachel raised an eyebrow to Carole. "He's in New York City…with us."

"New York?" Carole was a bit in shock. "What's Finn doing in New York? I thought that he was in the army."

"He was…for sixteen days." Rachel let out a nervous chuckle. "He shot himself in the thigh, was given a semi-honorable discharge and flew to New York under the glitz and glamour. He's actually going to school now."

"Finn's going to school? Where?" Carole, Rachel and Kurt sat in the living room as Rachel and Kurt let out a sigh.

"Finn is actually going to school at NYADA, the 'New York Academy for Dramatic Arts'." Kurt answered. "I know. I was shocked when I found out Finn made it too."

"Finn? In NYADA?" Carole realized from the expressions of Rachel and Kurt that it wasn't a lie. Carole took a deep breath, trying to process everything. "I just can't believe Finn didn't call or tell me that he was in New York."

"In his defense, Finn was very embarrassed by the way the army turned out." Rachel said. "He needed something to get him back on the right track. NYADA helped…oh, he's actually running the NYADA Glee Club there, which was why he couldn't come to Lima."

"I think a vacation sans Finn is what Rachel needs right now." Kurt smirked. "I mean I'm just getting tired hearing Finn and Rachel go…" Kurt turned his head, seeing Rachel was giving him a stern glare, meaning that if Kurt wanted to live, he was to stop while he was ahead. "Um, go…_shopping_ for only junk food at the supermarket, although I'm sure it's something they both would want to _indulge_."

"All right, Kurt." Rachel cleared her throat, focusing back to Carole. "So Mrs. Hudson, how have you been?"

"Well actually, that's what Burt and I wanted to call Kurt over here about." Carole sighed. "Um, Burt should be here in a minute. I think he was downstairs watching a basketball game to keep his mind off of things."

"What do you mean to keep his mind off of things?" Kurt asked, beginning to feel worried. Before anyone could answer, Carole, Rachel and Kurt focused their attention to the door, where they saw Burt entering the room. However, from a sudden glance, Burt looked different—much different. It had looked as if he lost a bit of weight, and it wasn't because of him working out. Kurt continued to stare at his father as if his father was a stranger, but Rachel had a slight feeling about what was going on. Rachel tried not to look so surprised, but Carole could tell that Rachel and Kurt were a bit flustered. "Um…dad…" Kurt swallowed hard. "You look a little different." Burt walked over to Carole, taking a seat next to her as Rachel and Kurt stared over at the two parents. Carole let out a sigh as Burt continued to look over at his son.

"Kurt…" Burt softly said. "I know that this is going to be a little hard for you right now, and I know you're not going to understand why things happen or how…but you have to know that what I'm about to tell you is very serious and…."

"Dad, just please tell me what's going on." Kurt felt his voice crack. "And please don't beat around the bush to do it." Rachel held onto Kurt's hand as they both stared at Burt and Carole, Burt finally sighing.

"Kurt…" Burt felt tears well up in his eyes as he stared at his son. "I have prostate cancer." Kurt continued to look at his dad, still shocked by the news. Kurt shook his head, unwilling to accept the facts.

"No…that's not possible." Kurt softly said. "I thought that was it. I thought that after your heart attack that you were healthy. You said you were eating healthy."

"Kurt…" Burt put a hand on Kurt's leg, trying to get Kurt to slightly calm down. "Look, it's Stage 1 and they caught it just in time…"

"If they caught it just in time, then why are you losing weight?!" Kurt felt his voice rise while staring at Burt. "That's not normal. If they caught it just in time, then you should be fine. Why…"

"Look, they found it before it spread, that's what I should have clarified." Burt said. "They're going to do surgery tomorrow and they had me drink this…terrible fluid to drain out your system. Kurt…this isn't a death sentence. Everything is going to be fine."

"You can't promise that." Kurt quickly retorted, staring into Burt's eyes. "You can't promise that you're going to be okay."

"All right, you're right…" Burt said. "I can't promise that. But what I can promise is that I'll try to fight it."

"And what if you lose?" Kurt felt tears stream down his face as he continued to look at his father. "What if you lose your fight? I don't want to lose you! I already lost mom and I don't want to lose you too!" Kurt got up from the sofa, heading up the stairs as Rachel stared at her best friend. Rachel looked over to Burt, giving an apologetic glance.

"Look, Kurt's just really overwhelmed right now." Rachel softly said.

"I know he is, Rachel." Burt assured her. "It's not his fault. I'd probably react the same way."

"You are going to be okay, right?" Rachel wondered as she fiddled with her thumbs. "I mean, the last thing Kurt would want is to lose you."

"I'm going to be fine." Burt smiled towards her. "I'm having surgery to get the tumor out, and then chemotherapy to prevent the cancer from coming back. I'll admit I'm scared…I mean this could be my life here…but everything is going to be okay."

"That's great…" Rachel let out a sigh of relief, going to get her phone. "Finn is going to be so relieved. He was worried about you, you know."

"Rachel…" Carole said, causing Rachel to turn to her. "I don't think it would be a good idea if Finn knew about this."

"What do you mean?" Rachel held her phone in her hands, shrugging her shoulders. "Why shouldn't Finn know?"

"Well Rachel, let's face it…Finn's very emotional." Burt said. "I don't want him to feel like the world is on his shoulders and going to blame himself. I also don't want him to feel like there's nothing he can do to help."

"But I promised him that I would tell him what's going on…" Rachel said. "When I promised him, I meant it."

"I know you meant it sweetie." Carole said. "I know that you care about Finn so much, but this is something that Finn has to be in the dark about. I mean, Finn has a lot on his plate with school, the Glee Club, New York…when he has a lot on his plate and he gets bad news, he gets distracted."

"So I'm just supposed to tell him that everything is fine?" Rachel seemed skeptical.

"Unfortunately, that's the way it has to be." Carole answered. "Look, we'll tell Finn about it after Burt is better."

"But if you tell him after the fact then he's going to feel betrayed." Rachel said. "I should know…I mean, when he was the last to know that Puck was the real father of Quinn's baby…I had never seen Finn so mad in my entire life. I just don't want him to be in the dark about stuff like this, his feelings could get seriously hurt."

"I know you want to tell him, Rachel." Burt looked over to her. "And we're aware that Finn's feelings will be severely hurt, but for now this is the way that it has to be. I'm sorry." Rachel figured she would get off the subject, looking up the stairs to Kurt's old room.

"Do you think Kurt is going to be okay?" Rachel asked.

"Eventually with time." Carole said. "You know, he's only in Lima for a couple of days…it would be nice for him to be around some company…" Rachel immediately knew who Carole was talking about as she grabbed her phone and started dialing a number.

* * *

Kurt sat in his room all alone, staring at the wall, trying to process the news he had received in his head. There was no way that he was going to be able to be there for his father without breaking down into multiple tears. Kurt couldn't fathom the thought of losing Burt. Ever since Kurt's mother died, Burt had been Kurt's rock. They had been there for each other the best they could and now—Kurt was in danger of losing his father too. Kurt heard the door knock, turning to it as he let out a sigh.

"I'm not in the mood to talk." Kurt said softly. "So if you wouldn't mind just leaving me alone." The door opened, ignoring Kurt's words revealing Rachel—and Blaine.

"All right, you want us to leave?" Blaine shrugged his shoulders while holding a tub of ice cream. "Then I guess we should take this ice cream with us downstairs, Rachel."

"I guess we should." Rachel shrugged her shoulders, still looking at Kurt. Kurt thought about it for a moment, motioning the both of them in.

"Bring the ice cream." Kurt said as Blaine walked over to him to give him a hug. Kurt hugged Blaine tightly, looking at him sadly. "So, what are my parents doing?

"They're downstairs preparing Burt for surgery tomorrow." Blaine answered, staring at Kurt sadly. "Look, I know that it's hard Kurt…but you're going to have our support no matter what."

"Okay and if my dad dies, will you be able to bring him back for me?" Kurt bitterly asked as Blaine and Rachel glanced at one another. Kurt realized his tone, letting out a sigh. "I'm sorry, Blaine. I'm just…battling so many emotions right now. It's tough…and…I don't know what to do. I want to believe that he's going to be fine but…the way I saw him kind of scared me into a state where I think that he could possibly…_die_."

"He's not going to die, Kurt." Blaine softly assured him. "He's not going to die. He's going to live and he's going to be fine."

"What if there's complication during the surgery tomorrow?" Kurt asked. "I mean, what if they cut an organ or they the doctors confuse him as a woman or something! Doctors do that sometimes, I see it on the news!"

"Okay, now you're just scared." Rachel sighed, putting both her hands on Kurt's shoulders. "Kurt…your dad is going to be fine. I _promise_ you. All right? He's going to be fine…"

"All right…" Kurt didn't feel much better with Rachel's words, but he knew better than to argue with Rachel Berry. Blaine took out a movie from his bag, handing it over to Kurt.

"Here, we got you _Breakfast At Tiffany's_." Blaine smiled. "I know that it's one of your favorite movies out there. It's also the one that you watch when you're sad or bothered about something."

"Ah yes…" Kurt took the movie, staring at the cover. "If _Funny Girl_ wasn't my favorite movie, then this one would be it. All right, let's put it in. I need some cheering up." Blaine took the case from Kurt's hands as he walked over the T.V. to place the movie in. Rachel, Kurt and Blaine sat there watching the movie, but as the movie went on, Rachel and Blaine noticed Kurt wasn't as interested in the movie as he normally would. Rachel knew that it would break Kurt's heart into pieces if something ever happened to his father…but she also knew that Burt was a fighter. He was going to beat this…he just needed Kurt's support.

_{Rachel, Kurt and Blaine watch the movie as Rachel continues to stare at Kurt with sadness}_

_[Rachel]  
There is not a single word  
In the whole world  
That could describe the hurt  
The dullest knife just sawing back and forth  
And ripping through the softest skin there ever was  
How were you to know  
How were you to know_

_And I, I hate to see your heart break  
I hate to see your eyes get darker as they close  
But I've been there before  
And I, I hate to see your heart break  
I hate to see your eyes get darker as they close  
But I've been there before_

_{Scene changes to the Lima Bean as Rachel, Kurt and Blaine sit in one of the seat as Blaine stares over at Kurt}_

_[Blaine]  
Love happens all the time  
To people who are kind  
And heroes who are blind  
Expecting perfect script and movie screens  
What once an awkward silence mystery  
How were you to know  
How were you to know_

_[Blaine with Rachel]  
And I, I hate to see your heart break  
I hate to see your eyes get darker as they close  
But I've been there before  
And I, I hate to see your heart break  
I hate to see your eyes get darker as they close  
But I've been there before_

_{Scene changes to Rachel, Kurt and Blaine walking through the McKinley High hallways as both Rachel and Blaine look at Kurt who sadly walks through the hallway}_

_[Blaine and Rachel]  
For all the air that's in your lungs  
For all the joy that is to come_

_[Rachel]  
For all the things that you're alive to feel  
Just let the pain remind you hearts can heal  
Oh how are you to know (Blaine: How are you to know)_

_[Rachel and Blaine]  
How are you to know_

_{Rachel, Kurt and Blaine enter the empty Glee choir room as Kurt sits in the chair and Blaine stand in front of him and sing. Kurt tears up with a smile on his face as Rachel and Blaine sing to him.}_

_[Rachel and Blaine]  
And I, I hate to see your heart break  
I hate to see your eyes get darker as they close  
But I've been there before  
And I, I hate to see your heart break  
I hate to see your eyes get darker as they close  
But I've been there before_

As soon as the song finished, Kurt got up from his seat, wrapping his arms around Rachel and Blaine as they stood there, letting Kurt have a nice, long cry. Rachel and Blaine eyed one another, still their arms wrapped around Kurt, trying to comfort him. However, they knew that it would be hard to comfort him since there was nothing they could do at this point to help Burt.

* * *

That afternoon in NYADA, Finn entered the auditorium looking down at his phone for the umpteenth time, hoping that Rachel would call him with some information about how Burt was doing. Finn's mind had been all over the place the whole day, him being unable to concentrate on his classes. Finn looked up to find that he wasn't alone in the auditorium—Simone was there, and she was stretching on the stage. Finn cleared his throat, walking over to her with interest. He had to admit that Simone was good at coming to Glee rehearsals early.

"Simone, hey there…" Finn waved as Simone flashed him a smile.

"Finn, I'm so glad that you're here." Simone got up from the stage, walking over to Finn. Finn eyed Simone as she led Finn to one of the auditorium chairs. "There was a song that I wanted to run by you."

"Oh." Finn didn't see the issue in that as he shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, what is it?" Simone led Finn to one of the chairs as Finn began to sit down.

"No…um, I mean, do you mind sitting in the one next to you?" Simone innocently said. "It would give you the experience of the stage. It's…one seat closer." Finn, being the naïve human being he was, did as he was told and sat in the next seat. Finn looked at Simone, confused as why she was going around his seat and crouching down to his level. Finn's eyes widened, realizing that there was a metal bracelet on one of his hands, but not any metal bracelet: it was a pair of handcuffs.

"Hey!" Finn exclaimed, trying to break free of the handcuffs on his wrist. Simone walked back to the stage as Finn began to feel anger. "Simone! Unhand cuff me!"

"I had to make sure that you'd stay there when I performed my song." Simone smirked. "Besides Finn, hasn't Rachel ever forced you to sit back and watch her performances when you were in High School? I mean, she used to gaze at you from across the choir room, hoping that she caught your attention…"

"Even if all that was true…" Finn felt his frustration boiling over. "She never handcuffed me to a chair to force me to listen to her!"

"Well at least sit there and listen, and you have to." Simone gave a seductive glance to Finn. "Because you're stuck in that chair." Simone looked over to the band, hearing them play the song that she assigned them.

_{Simone gives Finn seductive eyes as she starts singing. Finn looks at her with a shocked expression and doesn't notice Vicky entering the auditorium, glaring over at Simone while crossing her arms}_

_[Simone]  
Come on over, come on over baby  
Come on over, come on over baby  
Come on over, come on over baby  
Come on over, come on over baby_

_Hey boy, don't you know  
I got something going on  
I've got an invitation  
Don't you keep me waiting all night long_

_I know, you know so baby don't  
Pretend you won't, keep me guessing if you know  
You will or you won't  
Don't wanna play this game with you baby  
So listen to me_

_All I want is you (Come over here baby)  
All I want is you (You know you make me crazy)  
All I want is you  
Now baby don't be shy  
You better cross the line  
I'm gonna love you right  
Cause all I want is you_

_Come on over, come on over baby  
Come on over, come on over baby_

_{Simone walks over to where Finn's sitting as he tries to move to the side but remembers he's cuffed to the chair as Simone sings in his ear. Vicky realizes that Simone is forcing Finn to sit there and she grabs her phone and starts recording}_

_I'm not just talking  
About your sexuality (your sexuality)  
But I can't help myself  
When you put your hands on me  
Oh, oh_

_It's paradise, when you and I  
Get close, get tight  
One on one I wanna, go all, all night  
I wanna play this game with you baby  
Listen to me_

_All I want is you (Come over here baby)  
All I want is you (You know you make me crazy)  
Now baby don't be shy  
You better cross the line  
I'm gonna love you right  
Cause all I want is you_

_Come on over, come on over baby  
Come on over, come on over baby_

_{Simone sits in Finn's lap as Finn continues to widen his eyes towards Simone and tries to get out of her grasp. Simone tosses her hair to the side and puts her hand on Finn's cheeks}_

_Don't you wanna be the one tonight  
We could do exactly what you like  
Don't you wanna be just you and me  
We could do what comes so naturally  
I got a thing for you  
Got my mind made up  
And I'm serious, Never been more baby  
I'm sure that it's real  
And it's right here, come on_

_Come on, come on, come on over  
Come on, come on, come on over  
Come on, come on, come on over  
come on, come on, come on over  
Come on, come on, come on over  
Come on, come on, come on over_

_You give me  
What a girl feels, what a girl likes  
What a girl needs, what a girl wants_

_And I…OH!_

_All I want is you!  
Oh, oh, baby!_

_{Simone gets of Finn's lap and sits in the chair next to him and smirks at him}_

_All I want is you (You know you make me crazy)  
Now baby don't be shy  
You better cross the line  
I'm gonna love you right  
Cause all I want is you_

_All I want is you (Come over here baby)  
All I want is you (You know you make me crazy)  
All I want is you  
Now baby don't be shy  
You better cross the line  
I'm gonna love you right  
Cause all I want is you_

_{Song ends and Simone presses a kiss on Finn's lips as Finn's eyes widen and Vicky covers her hand with her mouth}_

After a few moments, Simone removed her lips from Finn's, noticing that he was in tremor. Finn didn't know what to say…Simone just _kissed_ him. While he was with Rachel. Simone kissed Finn while Finn was with Rachel! Finn started stammering as Simone got up from her seat, giving a smirk. She unlocked the handcuffs and pressed a kiss to Finn's cheek before leaving the auditorium with a smirk. Finn just sat there in horror, realization dawning over him. He kissed someone that wasn't Rachel, while Rachel was out of the city. Finn heard footsteps come forward, afraid that it was Simone again, but it ended up being Vicky. Finn still was a bit defensive with Vicky since he knew she had a great disdain for him, but when he studied Vicky's face, he realized that her face expression was the same as his—in revulsion.

"Dude…what the hell was that about?" Vicky pointed towards the door as Finn ran a hand through his hair.

"I have no idea what that was about! I swear." Finn started stammering his words when he thought Vicky was trying to accuse him of kissing Simone. Vicky sat down next to Finn, shaking her head, her face becoming soft.

"I know she kissed you. Not the other way around." Vicky said. Finn stopped his stammering as he studied her face. "Look, dude…you have to tell Rachel about that psychopath."

"No, no, no, no, no." Finn got up from his chair, looking to Vicky. "If I tell Rachel about this, she'll think that I was cheating. Vicky…I love Rachel with my entire body."

"All right, so if you loved Rachel then you would tell her about this." Vicky reasoned. "I'm sure that Rachel would never keep secrets from you. She loves you…you at least owe her that courtesy." Finn looked at Vicky, raising an eyebrow to her.

"Why are you helping me?" Finn wondered. 'Don't you like hate me or something?"

"Look, I just haven't figured you out yet." Vicky said. "I mean, I just wonder how you're going to get a bunch of misfits to the Sectional Championships."

"Because I was on a team that had a bunch of misfits too." Finn said. "It was me, Rachel and my friends Kurt, Tina, Mercedes and Artie. We weren't very good when we started but the more we believed in ourselves, the more we believed we were a group that could take on the world and win anything. We won Nationals last year."

"So you really think that you can whip us into shape?" Vicky wondered as Finn nodded his head.

"I know I can whip you guys into shape." Finn sounded confident. "You guys are more special than you let yourselves on. You just have to work together…and not try to hog the spotlight. It's better being a part of something special than being the only person that gets all the attention."

"I guess when you put it that way…" Vicky softly murmured. Vicky looked to Finn, releasing a smile. "Thanks Finn."

"You're welcome Vicky." Finn smiled back at her. Finn's smile diminished as the thought about his dilemma. "What am I going to do when Simone blabs to Rachel that Simone and I kissed?"

"Simone's not going to tell Rachel. You are." Vicky simply said as she went into her bag to get some sheet music out. Finn considered Vicky's words, nodding his head. "It's gonna be hard Finn, but Rachel needs to hear this from you. If you're going to ever marry in the future, then there's no time for secrets. No matter how difficult they may be."

* * *

"Can you believe that we used to sing in this auditorium?" Kurt looked around the William McKinley High School auditorium. "It's amazing."

"Yeah, it is." Rachel agreed. "I think this auditorium is bigger than the NYADA auditorium."

"I think so too." Kurt agreed. He was still a little overwhelmed with all the news he received in one day, but he was glad that Blaine and Rachel were there with him for their support.

"Do you think that Finn should know?" Rachel asked, staring over at Blaine and Kurt. "About Burt I mean?"

"Burt made it clear that he didn't want Finn to know." Blaine reasoned.

"But Finn told me that Burt was more like a father figure to him than his own father was." Rachel protested. "Finn and Burt get along so well and I know that Finn kept from them that he was in New York, but this impacts the entire family, Finn included. Last time I checked, Finn is a part of the family."

"I know that Finn is a part of the family." Blaine said. "But Finn doesn't take bad news well."

"Well I think that Finn will take this well." Rachel argued. "Finn is in New York, he's growing up. He's not the same person that he was in High School. I made a promise to Finn that I was going to tell him what's going on and I'm not going to break it because everyone thinks Finn is going to act like a little kid!" Rachel got up from the auditorium seat, heading out of the room as she whipped out her cellphone. Rachel dialed Finn's number, holding the phone next to her ear. After a few rings, she heard the click of the phone, meaning Finn had picked up.

"_Hello_?" Finn's voice said as Rachel smiled.

"Hi, what happened?" Rachel softly said while walking along the hallway. "You haven't called me. I guess you didn't miss me."

"_I did miss you, Rach. I'm sorry. I was working on some stuff for the Glee Club_." Finn sounded a bit hesitant, something that Rachel picked up.

"Finn, are you okay?" Rachel wondered. "Was Glee Club okay? Was Simone bothering you?" There was a slight pause after Rachel mentioned Simone's name, but she heard Finn letting out a chuckle.

"_No Rachel, there's nothing wrong._" Finn said. _"Glee Club is fine and Simone's not bothering me. So, enough about me, how is Burt? How's Lima?"_

"Lima is great, I mean…we're both here and we saw your mom." Rachel explained. "By the way you might want to call her and let her know that you're in New York. You never told her you left the army."

"_Well I was embarrassed."_ Finn answered. _"You'd understand if you shot yourself in the thigh." _Rachel chuckled, nodding her head.

"Yeah, I understand. It was embarrassing but you don't have to be embarrassed. It's over with. You don't have to worry about the army anymore." Rachel smiled hearing Finn's voice. "Finn, was everything okay? You sound a little sad."

"_I just really miss you, Rachel_. _I mean I kind of wonder when you're coming home." _Rachel felt her heart flutter hearing that Finn missed her.

"I'll be home tomorrow night, okay?" Rachel said. She took a deep breath, staring into the phone and giving a sigh. "Finn, are you sitting down right now? There's something I need to tell you and I'm not sure how you're going to take it."

"_Uh-oh…am I in trouble?"_ Finn joked.

"No, you're not in trouble." Rachel shook her head, holding the phone close to her. "Look, what I'm going to tell you is something very serious and you need to please try to be strong after I tell you, okay? Are you sitting down, babe?"

"_Yeah, I'm sitting down. What's going on?"_ Finn wondered. Rachel took a deep breath, looking down at her engagement ring.

"Burt's having surgery tomorrow." Rachel said. "He has prostate cancer." There was silence, Rachel beginning to feel guilty for telling Finn. "Finn…are you okay?"

"_I'm fine, yeah…_" Finn spoke after a moment of silence. _"So how does Burt look?"_

"Burt? He looks like he lost a couple pounds but other than that, he believes he'll make a full recovery." Rachel said. "Are you okay?"

"_Yeah, I'm fine."_ Finn quickly said. _"I'm just a little surprised. I thought Burt would have taken care of himself. I mean, I'm just a little shocked. He's gonna be okay, right?" _

"Of course, he's going to be okay." Rachel spoke. "Burt's gonna be fine. He's going to get the tumor out and then he's going to have chemotherapy. The doctors are going to do everything they can to fix him, baby."

"_I know they will. They are doctors after all_." Finn said. _"Maybe I should call Burt and mom and let them know that I'm thinking about them for the surgery tomorrow." _

"Do you mind if I ask why you're not so upset about it?" Rachel wondered. She had figured that Finn would have been a little more upset about the situation. Instead, it was almost as if Finn was taking it very well.

"_Well, what good is there to just sit and cry? I have to think about what I'm going to do to be there for Burt. Just moping isn't going to help. He needs someone that's going to be strong and get him through it every step of the way._" Finn's words made Rachel realize that he was serious, and that his actions were very grown up. Rachel released a grin, holding the phone close to her.

"I am so proud of you, Finn." Rachel smiled. "You're so strong…but there's one other thing that I need you to do for me. I need you to make sure that you spread your wisdom to Kurt. Kurt's really upset about it, and he has every right to be, but he has to hear you say what you just said to me."

"_I will tell him that. Don't worry." _Rachel continued to look down at her engagement ring, her smile widening.

"I love you, Finn. I love you so much." Rachel whispered.

"_I love you too, Rachel." _Finn quickly reciprocated. _"I'll call you later, okay? I still have some work to do with the Glee Club._"

"All right then." Rachel agreed. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Rachel heard the click of the phone, wondering if he was okay. Finn was acting a little odd—and a little too sad for him to just miss her.

* * *

Finn sat there holding his phone close to him as he looked up at the picture of him and Rachel on his dresser. Finn was wracked with guilt over his kiss with Simone. He had never done something like that to Rachel before, and he was certain she was going to dump him if she found out the truth. Finn wasn't sure what he was going to do, so he did what came naturally—he sat on the bed, holding his hands to his face and started to cry.

* * *

Rachel stared down at her phone, seeing Finn's face on her contacts, wondering if everything was all right with him. Maybe he shouldn't have known about Burt's diagnosis. Maybe that was what was bothering him. But he had seemed so upbeat that Burt was going to be fine, he was so into being there for him. Rachel continued to look down at the phone that she didn't notice footsteps coming towards her.

"I kind of had a feeling you were going to tell him?" Rachel turned to see Burt standing there as she let out a saddened sigh.

"Burt, I'm sorry but…Finn…" Rachel saw Burt put a hand up to stop her from talking, seeing that he had a small smile on his face.

"I know you were going to tell him." Burt said. "Carole had a feeling you were going to tell him too…you hated keeping secrets from him. How did he take it?"

"He took it pretty well." Rachel admitted. "He just wants to know when you're going to get better. He wants to call you guys as soon as you begin recovery."

"Really? No breaking down and crying on the phone?" Burt seemed a bit surprised.

"I was just as shocked. Honestly, I think Finn is taking this a little better than Kurt is." Rachel said. "I mean, Finn…Finn loves you so much Burt. He does. He considers you his dad…"

"I love him too, Rachel." Burt smiled to her. "And if he's being a man about this, then I don't see any reason to keep him in the dark about this. So…thank you for telling him, Rachel. I wanted him to hear it from someone that wasn't going to cause him to go into a ballistic rage. I'm glad it was you." Rachel walked over, feeling tears in her eyes as she hugged Burt tightly.

"You guys are my second family…you, Finn, Mrs. Hudson, Kurt…you're my family." Rachel softly said.

"And you're a part of the family, Rachel." Burt told her as Rachel looked into Burt's eyes. "Kurt loves you, Finn obviously loves you very much, Carole and I love you like the daughter that Carole wants but never had, wondering why two teenage boys instead of a girl." Rachel and Burt slightly chuckled, Burt keeping his eyes on Rachel. "Rachel, you're welcome any time when you're in Lima. And I mean that…I do need you to do something for me though."

"What's that?" Rachel wondered.

"I need you to be there for Kurt and Finn. They're both feeling different emotions. Kurt's a nervous wreck and Finn's being stronger than he thinks he is. Carole's seen that from Finn before. I just want you to make sure that they don't do anything crazy."

"I promise…" Rachel softly answered, wrapping her arms around Burt once more as he smiled. "I know you're going to recover and fight back from this. Anything you need, just say the word and Kurt, Finn and I will take the first plane from New York all the way to Lima."

"Well there is one thing…" Burt said. "Mr. Schuester was telling me about Sectionals for the New Directions happening in a couple of weeks and he wanted me to ask you guys if you'd be willing to come back in a couple of weeks to see the show. I mean, I'd probably have my first chemotherapy session by then but that would give the boys to see their old classmates and me again. If you don't mind."

"Consider it done." Rachel didn't hesitate to answer. "Did you want to talk to Kurt? I think he's in there with Blaine."

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to him one on one." Burt admitted as Rachel led Burt over to Kurt and Blaine by the front row of the auditorium. Rachel cleared her throat to Blaine, seeing that she was motioning for him.

"Come on Blaine, let's go and find Brad. I'm sure he'd like to see me again." Blaine quickly obliged, getting up from his seat, leading Rachel out the auditorium as Burt and Kurt stood there in silence. Burt sat down in the seat next to his son, looking over to him.

"Hey buddy, how are you?" Burt calmly asked. Kurt looked to his father, shrugging his shoulders.

"I'm fine." Kurt softly answered. However, Kurt's actions were far from fine. His eyes were watering and he felt like he was going to fall apart any moment.

"You know…Rachel told Finn about what's going on with me…want to know how Finn took it?" Burt questioned quietly. Kurt continued to stare at Burt, shrugging his shoulders. "Rachel said Finn took it pretty okay…he's worried about me, and he's scared—but you know what he's not doing?"

"What?" Kurt shrugged his shoulders, trying hard to speak.

"He's not crying over it." Burt answered. "The first thing Finn asked was what he could do to help?"

"Well Finn acting that way is normal." Kurt curtly said. "He's not your real son! I am! I'm the one that stuck with you ever since mom died. All Finn is worried about is losing someone who's just like him! Someone who talks about sports and someone who needs manly advice! Where am I going to find someone who's just as sensitive about my feelings?! Ever since I came out, you were the one that was there for me! No one knew how to handle my situation, and some people figured that it was wrong for me to even have feelings for another guy. You stood by me no matter what…and who's going to do that when you're gone." Kurt fell apart as he started sobbing. Burt held Kurt tightly, hugging him as if there were no tomorrow. After a moment of sitting there, Burt let out a deep breath, knowing that he was probably going to end up crying after his speech.

"Kurt…"Burt stared at Kurt with sadness. "There is going to come a time where one day I _am_ going to die. All right? We're all going to die at some point in our lives. It's the circle of life. I hate to be frank like that because apparently children think their parents are going to live forever. But the sad truth is…we're all going to die. There's nothing I can do to stop it from happening. I love you Kurt, you know that…and I know that. All I ever wanted was to give you a happy life and watch you grow up. Look, I'm not dead today. I'm sitting in this auditorium with you, thinking about my surgery tomorrow. And do you want to know something, Kurt? I'm scared as hell. You think you're scared? You think Finn, Rachel, or Carole are scared? I'm terrified because this is happening to me. There's nothing scarier than thinking you could die on that operating table. There's nothing scarier than thinking you can die from cancer. That you could die and your family is nowhere near you to say their final goodbyes. There's nothing scarier than that Kurt. It's okay that you're upset…but _I_ don't want to feel alone." Tears from Burt's eyes were falling to his cheeks, still looking at his son. "I feel like I'm alone in all this. I know I have you and your mom and Finn but…I'm alone. No one else in our household is going through this…it's just me. It's only going to get tougher here on out, but at the end of the day...I'm alone. When I found out, I was in shock and I was thinking, 'why me'? But I know that this was just another roadblock…and I know that if I have your love…and Finn's love and Carole's love…that I'm going to get through this." Kurt and Burt hugged one another, softly crying in each other's arms.

"I'm sorry, dad." Kurt sniffled. "I just don't want to lose you…and I know you're terrified and I'm scared of losing you but…I just can't picture a world without you."

"Kurt, I'm going to tell you something my dad once told me." Burt wiped his tears away from his face, looking at his son. "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.' I don't want you stopping your life when I die…I want you to carry on because that's what I would have wanted. Are you allowed to be sad? Of course. But I don't want you to just lie in bed for a year and never come out. All right? So promise me that you're going to do that for me. Please, Kurt…"

"I promise…" Kurt nodded his head, giving his dad a sad smile. "I promise. Everything I do…it's because of you. And dad, you're not alone…_I'm _with you…every step of the way…"

"I know you are…" Burt hugged his son one more. "I love you, Kurt…"

"I love you too, dad…" Kurt answered, squeezing his father tightly. "I love you too."

_{Scene changes to Kurt sitting in his house with Rachel and Blaine staring at him while Burt puts some clothing in a suitcase}_

_[Kurt]  
I'm standing on a bridge  
I'm waiting in the dark  
I thought that you'd be here  
There's nothing but the rain  
No footsteps on the ground  
I'm listening but there's no sound_

_Isn't anyone trying to find me  
Won't somebody come take me home_

_[Kurt with Rachel and Blaine]  
It's a damn cold night  
trying to figure out this life  
Won't you take me by the hand, take me somewhere new  
I don't know who you are but I'm, I'm with you_

_[Kurt]  
I'm with you_

_{Scene changes to the hospital as Kurt sits with his father and Blaine, Rachel and Carole sit there with them}_

_[Blaine]  
I'm looking for a place  
I'm searching for a face  
Is anybody here I know_

_[Rachel]  
Cause nothing's going right  
And everything's a mess  
And no one likes to be alone_

_[Blaine and Rachel]  
Isn't anyone trying to find me  
Won't somebody come take me home_

_[Rachel, Blaine and Kurt]  
It's a damn cold night  
trying to figure out this life  
Won't you take me by the hand, take me somewhere new  
I don't know who you are but I'm, I'm with you_

_[Rachel]  
I'm with you, yea_

_{Scene changes to Finn lying on the bed, holding Rachel's pillow as he stares at the picture of him and Rachel on the table}_

_[Rachel, Finn, Kurt and Blaine]  
Why is everything so confusing  
Maybe I'm just out of my mind_

_{Scene changes back to the hospital as Rachel, Blaine, Kurt and Carole walk down the hallway towards the operation room}_

_[Rachel]  
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah  
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah  
YEAH, OH!_

_{Kurt, Rachel, Blaine and Carole see Burt in the hospital wheeling bed as Carole hugs him tightly. Blaine gives Burt a hand shake and Rachel hugs him tightly. They move over for Kurt as Kurt walks over and hugs Burt tightly not wanting to let go}_

_[Kurt]  
It's a damn cold night  
Trying to figure out this life  
Won't you take me by the hand, take me somewhere new  
I don't know who you are but I'm_

_[Rachel and Kurt]  
I'm with you  
I'm with you_

_[Rachel]  
Take me by the hand, take me somewhere new  
I don't know who you are but I'm with you  
I'm with you_

_{The doctors start wheeling Burt away from them as Kurt stares over at the bed going into the operating room as Blaine and Rachel hug Kurt tightly}_

_[Rachel, Kurt, Blaine and Finn]  
Take me by the hand, take me somewhere new  
I don't know who you are but I'm,_

_[Blaine]  
I'm with you_

_[Rachel]  
I'm with you_

_[Kurt]  
I'm with you_

* * *

_**GUEST STARRING**_

_**Darren Criss as Blaine Anderson**_

_**Mike O'Malley as Burt Hummel**_

_**Remy Rosemont as Carole Hudson-Hummel**_

_**Ariana Grande as Simone Barberrie**_

_**Victoria Justice as Vicky Martinez**_

_**SONG(S):**_

_**Hate To See Your Heart Break (Originally by Paramore): Performed by Rachel Berry and Blaine Anderson**_

_**Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You) [Originally by Christina Aguilera]: Performed by Simone Barberrie**_

_**I'm With You (Originally by Avril Lavigne): Performed by Kurt Hummel, Blaine Anderson, Rachel Berry and Finn Hudson**_


	10. 1x10: Just In Love With You

_**Episode Synopsis: **Finn attempts to find a way to tell Rachel the truth about the Simone kiss, but unfortunately his lies come back to hurt him, straining Finn and Rachel's relationship. Rachel finds out about the chance to audition for the Broadway musical _Funny Girl _and her rivalry with Simone intensifies._

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I do not own Glee, but I wish I did. Here's the newest episode!_

* * *

Finn sat on the loft couch, staring absentmindedly at the television, trying to process what had happened between him and Simone. Rachel and Kurt weren't supposed to be back in to the loft for another hour or so, which bought Finn some time to come up with a way in telling Rachel what happened in the auditorium. Finn heard the door open, taking in a deep breath—but stopped when he saw Santana entering with an umbrella in her hand. Finn was in such a state of guilt that he didn't say a word to Santana. Finn shook his head in confusion, watching Santana walk over to him with a smile.

"So, it's still just you?" Santana smirked. "I would have thought that you would have been making out with Rachel on the couch…or maybe cooped up in your room having 'I'm so glad your back' sex."

"Santana, can you stop bagging on me for a minute." Finn tersely asked, staring back at the television. Santana quit joking when she realized that Finn looked worried, sitting on the couch next to him, feeling concerned.

"Hey, Finn are you okay?" Santana asked. "I mean, usually you don't mind when I make fun of you and Rachel, but…today you're just…upset."

"There's a lot of things going through my mind right now." Finn muttered, looking down at his hands. "For one thing, Burt has cancer and he was in surgery early this morning."

"Oh god…" Santana gasped slightly, putting a hand on Finn's shoulder. "Finn, I'm sorry."

"Oh you think you're sorry about that? Check this out." Finn sighed. "At Glee practice yesterday, the girl Simone that I was telling you reminds me of Rachel a bit; she handcuffed me to a chair and then kissed me."

"She did what?" Santana looked outraged as Finn nodded his head.

"Yeah, it was like she was all into getting kinky and crap…and then she kissed me right on my mouth." Finn said.

"You should have slapped the bitch." Santana continued to look outraged, Finn looking shocked towards her.

"I can't slap Simone. I'll go to jail…plus she's a girl." Finn mentioned. "Also Rachel would probably handcuff my hands to one of the kitchen chairs and just leave me there."

"Oh, Finn…I don't think that Rachel would do that." Santana shrugged her shoulders. "But still, you should have done something. She knew that you were with Rachel and yet she tried to pursue you anyway! She's annoying and just creepy. She reminds me of Old Rachel 2.0…except Old Rachel was never a bitch like that; she never was possessive like trying to handcuff you to chairs."

"So what am I going to do about her? And what am I going to tell Rachel? If I tell Rachel, Rachel will kill me." Finn ran a hand through his hair while Santana stroked her chin.

"Well you have to tell her…but you have to be gentle about it." Santana suggested. "There's nothing more serious than your fiancée finding out that you kissed a student."

"She's not a student…I'm still a student…I just…oh god!" Finn began to feel overwhelmed once again. "If I tell Rachel then she's going to just break up with me and I _love_ Rachel. So I need to find a way to tell her in a way that she won't go ballistic on me."

"Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out." Santana patted Finn's shoulder. "You always do." Finn and Santana whipped their heads to the door, hearing Kurt and Rachel enter the apartment with their suitcases. Kurt and Rachel turned to Santana and Finn as Finn and Santana got up from the sofa, walking over to their friends.

"_FINN!" _Rachel squealed as she ran into Finn's arms, hugging him tightly. Finn hugged her tightly as well, refusing to let her go. "Oh…god I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, Rach…" Finn said, turning to Santana who nodded her head to him. Santana walked over to Kurt, wrapping him into a hug.

"How are you? How's your dad?" Santana asked, looking into Kurt's eyes.

"The surgery was successful but now my dad is going to spend six months getting chemotherapy." Kurt sadly answered. He then brightened his mood, going into his bag and pulling out a tub of ice cream. "Rachel and I stopped at the supermarket on the way home and we got some chocolate ice cream. We were thinking of sitting on the couch tonight and indulging on ice cream while watching reruns of _SNL_ on television."

"That sounds like fun." Santana smiled, putting an arm around Kurt. "How about you and I watch T.V. and Finn and Rachel spend some time together? It had been days since they had seen one another." Finn raised an eyebrow to Santana, understanding what she was doing. "Run along now Finnocence." Finn walked over to take Rachel's bags, carrying them to the room as Rachel followed him. Rachel closed the door to the bedroom as Finn set the suitcases down, turning back towards her with a small smile.

"So how was Lima? I mean, did you see any of our old classmates or something?" Finn wondered.

"The only person we saw was Blaine." Rachel walked over to Finn, wrapping her arms around his neck. "And then we also ran into Brad the pianist."

"Oh, Brad the pianist." Finn grinned. "He always seemed to know what we wanted to sing."

"Oh, that is true." Rachel leaned up to Finn's lips, pressing a kiss on them. Rachel raised an eyebrow, removing her lips from his and smelling his face. "Finn? You smell like strawberry lip gloss."

"Oh…yeah!" Finn snapped his fingers, trying to come up with a lie. "I bought some lip gloss because I heard it helps with chapped lips. Um, strawberry was the only flavor they had."

"You went to buy lip gloss?" Rachel raised an eyebrow. "That's a first I ever heard of a guy buying lip gloss. I hope you didn't eat it."

"No, I think I'm smart enough to know how to put on lip gloss." Finn noticed Rachel buying it as her face turned into a smirk.

"So Finn…I'm home…" Rachel pressed a kiss to Finn's lips, running a hand through his hair. "And I haven't had your touch in two days…do you think you can fix that for me?"

"I think I can…" Finn's voice turned seductive as he picked Rachel up off the floor and placed her in the bed, letting out a chuckle. Before Finn did anything, he stared down at her, giving her a loving gaze, causing her to stare back at him. "I love you, so much…"

"I love you, too." Rachel looked up at him, her smile widening. "Now get over here and love me, man." Finn chuckled as Rachel leaned up to kiss him passionately, Finn reaching over to the lamp on the table to turn it off.

* * *

Finn walked down the hallways of NYADA the next morning, heading over to his first class of the day, which was unfortunately Vocals101. Finn loved singing-more than he loved dancing, but the problem wasn't the teacher—it was the fact he shared that class with both Brody and Simone. Finn entered the classroom, spotting Brody in one side of the room and Simone on the other side. Finn sat down in the front of the classroom in order to avoid both of them, but Simone grabbed her belongings and took the seat next to Finn, in order to gaze at him the entire class. Finn had to admit that when he was in High School, Rachel was a bit obsessive over him, but it was never on Simone's levels. Besides, he grew to love Rachel, didn't he?

"Hi Finn…" Simone spoke in a voice that somewhat scared him. Finn turned to her, becoming uncomfortable.

"Simone…" Finn sighed, staring at her. "I'm not interested in you. I love Rachel."

"Oh, really?" Simone asked as she continued to stare at Finn. "I think that you're more interested than you let on."

"I'm not interested." Finn argued. "And I wish that you would stop trying to get me to fall in love with you. The difference between you and Rachel is I had feelings for Rachel that I didn't know about. I don't have feel…" Finn abruptly was cut off when Simone cupped Finn's cheeks and pressed a kiss to his lips. Simone parted, staring into Finn's eyes while Finn stared in shock.

"You liked that, didn't you?" Simone smirked, getting out of her seat and heading back to where she originally sat, with Finn's eyes still widening. Finn turned his head, to find that Brody was staring at him. Finn knew that he had to do something—he had to tell Rachel the truth before Simone and Brody twisted around the story.

* * *

Rachel looked down at her playwriting assignment, still trying to perfect it for the teacher at the library when she noticed someone she had never seen before enter the library, scanning the students that were there. The woman focused her eyes on Rachel, making her way over to her. Rachel saw the woman sit across the table from her, smiling the widest smile she could.

"Are you Rachel Berry?" The woman asked after a moment. Rachel looked at her, wanting to know what she wanted.

"I am Rachel Berry." Rachel said with a slight smile. "Can I help you?"

"You can actually." The woman said. "I'm Ms. Sloane, I work on Broadway as a talent director—and I couldn't help but become intrigued in you. I saw some video from your High School days and you are so talented."

"Wait, you're from Broadway?" Rachel asked, her eyes widening.

"Yes." Ms. Sloane grinned before continuing. "I was so impressed with your amazing talent that I wanted to come in person and ask if you wouldn't mind auditioning for us. You see, I am in charge of the show _Funny Girl_ on Broadway and I was wondering if you would like to audition for one of the roles." Rachel's head started to spin, realizing that this was all happening so fast.

"You want me to audition for _Funny Girl_ on Broadway?" Rachel pointed at herself, still feeling winded.

"Yes, of course dear." Ms. Sloane said. Rachel nodded her head, quickly agreeing to what she was told.

"Oh, of course I'll audition." Rachel smiled. "_Funny Girl_ is my favorite musical in the entire world, so I hope that I can have the passion to impress you."

"I'm sure you will impress." Ms. Sloane got up from her chair, winking at her. "I can't wait to see you at auditions." Ms. Sloane left the library while Rachel sat there in surprise. She couldn't believe it. She was going to audition for _Funny Girl_. Rachel continued to smile at her achievement, and her eyes began to sparkle when she saw Finn enter the library, looking around and seeing her. Rachel motioned Finn over to her, Finn quickly making his way over to the table. Finn sat down, folding his hands while staring at Rachel, seeing she was about to scream for joy.

"Gee, what's going on?" Finn asked, chuckling at Rachel's enthusiasm.

"Finn, guess who is going to audition for the musical, _Funny Girl?_" Rachel grinned from ear to ear. Finn pretended to think, stroking his chin, causing Rachel to chuckle.

"Oh my god! You didn't tell me Celine Dion was auditioning for Fanny Brice!" Finn joked, causing Rachel to burst out laughing. "Well, make sure to wish her my congratulations." Rachel playfully hit Finn's shoulder from across the table, still grinning from ear to ear.

"No Finn, it was _me_." Rachel pointed to herself as Finn pretended to look shocked. "_I _was the one that got the audition!"

"Really?" Finn stared at her, finally releasing a smile. "I knew you'd get an audition for Broadway, Rachel. You're amazing, you're talented, you're beautiful…I'm so happy for you."

"Aww, aren't you supportive." Rachel patted Finn's hand, seeing that he was still staring at her. "Finn, is something wrong?"

"Huh?" Finn asked her, pretending he didn't hear her question.

"I asked if you're all right." Rachel repeated. "You've been acting a little odd ever since I got home from Lima."

"Oh, that…um, I'm fine." Finn said. "It's just that I'm still thinking about Burt. I mean, I was just worried about him is all."

"And that's fine to worry." Rachel assured him, giving Finn a grin. "I just want you to know that you are such a good stepson to him. Did you call him?"

"Oh yeah, I called my mom after the surgery." Finn shrugged his shoulders. "She said he went through the surgery well and that he should be fine. I mean, that's a lot for a person to go through. And now there's also the chemotherapy for six months so he might not be himself."

"Well, as long as your with him that's the only thing that matters." Rachel patted Finn's hand, seeing that he was more at ease. "So Finn, I was wondering, how was the Glee Club when I was gone? I'm sure that you made some progress, figuring out what they're doing for Sectionals." Finn tensed up at the mention of the Glee Club, his mind wandering over to Simone and her obsessive ways. Finn didn't want Rachel to know that Simone had kissed him, so he had pretended everything was fine.

"Oh, Glee Club was fine." Finn cleared his throat, still staring at Rachel. "I mean, Vicky isn't as bad as I thought. She's actually tolerable."

"She's tolerable to you?" Rachel furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "But you and her were butting heads a couple days ago. How are you guys on tolerable terms now."

"Well…what can I say?" Finn shrugged his shoulders, leaning back in his chair. "I guess she fell under the 'Finn Hudson charm'." Rachel stifled a laugh while looking at her fiancé.

"The 'Finn Hudson charm'. Right." Rachel shook her head.

"Well, you fell in love with me, didn't you?" Finn playfully argued, staring at Rachel.

"Yes, but I don't think it had to do with your charm. I think I fell in love because of your heart and your love for music. You're better than you think you are…so why don't you go out of your comfort zone and be spontaneous? Try out for a musical or something? You're talented and you're loveable."

"You really think I'm loveable?" Finn gave Rachel his signature half grin.

"I think you're amazing." Rachel leaned closer to him, pressing a kiss to his lips. Finn responded, putting one of his hands in Rachel's hair. After a moment, they parted, the both of them gazing into each other's eyes. "So honestly, was the Glee Club okay?"

"Glee Club was fine." Finn looked into Rachel's eyes, assuring her. Rachel and Finn continued to stare into each other's eyes—until Simone walked over and stopped at their table. Finn had to prevent himself from groaning while Rachel felt that Simone would go away on her own if she had pretended to be nice.

"Hi Simone." Rachel used in a tone that was pleasant, although she didn't feel pleasant.

"Hi Rachel." Simone gave Rachel the same fake pleasant tone before fixating her eyes on Finn. "_Hi Finn_." Finn cringed in his seat, still looking over at Simone as she grinned at him. "I can't wait for Glee Club today. I'm sure that it's going to be exciting."

"Oh…it will be." Finn nodded his head slowly, still looking at Simone. Rachel got up from her seat, leading Finn with her.

"Come on Finn, we should go prepare for Glee Club..." Rachel gave Simone a glare, walking towards the exit.

"Good idea." Finn followed Rachel until Rachel realized she was missing her notebook. She turned back around towards the table, letting Finn know that he should go on without her. Finn nodded his head, leaving the library as Rachel went to get her notebook back. She noticed Simone's gaze at her, feeling her teeth clench as she stared at her rival.

"Listen to me." Rachel said in a threatening tone. "You may sing with him, you may dance with him but at the end of the day, Finn is _mine_. So you need to back off before I make you sorry."

"Oh Rachel…are you _sure_ that Finn is yours?" Simone smirked, raising an eyebrow in satisfaction.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Rachel shook her head in anger.

"Finn seems to be more content with someone who's in his own wheelhouse, someone who can get him up to speed…someone who can make him fall in love with one dance." Simone crossed her arms, staring towards Rachel.

"Oh, please. Finn will not fall for your Mariah Carey singing and your porn star dancing." Rachel sneered, grabbing her notebook and making her way out of the library. As Rachel exited the library, she spotted Brody walking over to her, crossing his arms in concern.

"Rachel, can I talk to you for a minute?" Brody questioned. Rachel looked up at Brody, becoming confused as to why everyone was so into wanting to talk to her today. "It has to do with Finn."

"Brody! I thought I told you a million times that I'm not interested in you. I love Finn." Rachel let out an exasperated sigh as she made her way towards the auditorium.

"You love Finn?" Brody called out after her. "That's funny because…it didn't look like Finn loved you." Rachel stopped in her tracks, turning around towards Brody.

"What are you talking about, Brody?" Rachel questioned. Brody looked down to the ground, staring back at Rachel in sadness.

"Finn seems to be getting chummy with Simone." Brody said. Rachel walked over to Brody, shaking her head. "I know you don't believe me but what I saw kind of scared me. They kissed…and I figured you and Finn were over."

"Okay…I know you're upset that I chose Finn over you, Brody…but you don't have to _lie_ about it." Rachel spoke in disgusted tone. "Finn would never kiss someone else. He loves me."

"If he loved you so much, he wouldn't have kissed her, now would he?" Brody questioned. "Rachel, I know you're all strung up on Finn but I know what I saw. There was some major lip on lip action there."

"I'm sure that if Finn and Simone had kissed, Finn would have been repulsed and he would have told me." Rachel said, making her way to the auditorium. "Besides, I know Finn and Finn would never do something like that."

"So if Finn had never done something like that, then how did you two get together? Let me guess? You were both chummy with one another and you just magically got together? Come on, I know you both kissed each other while you were dating other people. Think about moral of character, Rachel. If Finn had done that with you, there's nothing stopping him from doing it with someone else." Brody argued.

"Finn wouldn't do that." Rachel spoke in a stern tone, making her way to the auditorium. As she thought about her words with Brody, she was certain that Finn wouldn't do something like that. She was sure that Finn wouldn't kiss someone else. Rachel entered the auditorium, spotting Finn with the other Glee Club members, working on a song choice for them. Rachel walked over to him, crossing her arms as he looked over to her.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Finn asked. "Did Simone say something to you at the library?"

"No, she didn't." Rachel continued to look into Finn's eyes. "But Brody might have said something that was of interest."

"What?" Finn led Rachel away from the other members, pulling her towards the corner as Finn stared at her. "What did Brody say because I will kick his ass if he said something stupid."

"I don't know, he said something about you kissing Simone." Rachel shrugged her shoulders, giving Finn the benefit of the doubt. "He said that you locked lips during your vocals class and…I know that you would never do something like that to me, right?" Finn looked at Rachel, his face softening as Rachel's face slowly turned to anger. Rachel studied Finn's face, realizing that everything she said _was_ true. "Finn…you kissed Simone…"

"Rachel, no…I didn't kiss Simone…" Finn stammered, still staring at Rachel. "I didn't kiss her."

"Oh really? So what Brody is saying is a lie?" Rachel asked, raising an eyebrow to him. "Finn I want you to _truthfully_ look me in the eye and tell me that you didn't kiss Simone. Tell me you didn't kiss her." Finn continued to look at Rachel, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he looked down. Finn couldn't lie anymore. He couldn't lie to Rachel. Finn looked back up, staring at Rachel with tears in his eyes.

"I…I didn't kiss her." Finn shook his head as he let out a shaky sigh. "_She_ kissed _me_." Rachel continued to look at him, crossing her arms to him. Rachel shook her head in sadness while Finn gave her a pleading look. "I came here to prepare for Glee Club, she handcuffed me to the chair and before I knew it, she planted a kiss right on my mouth."

"Wait…so this was the _second_ time this happened?" Rachel felt tears come to her eyes as she looked at him.

"I had no control over that." Finn quickly said, looking into Rachel's eyes. "Rachel, I was telling her how much you meant to me and then all of a sudden she attacked my lips."

"So you gave her a running start." Rachel shook her head. "You should have pushed her away."

"I didn't know she was going to kiss me, Rachel." Finn protested. "She just kissed my lips and…"

"So this is what you do when I go to Lima for a couple of days?!" Rachel shouted, seeing Finn stood quiet. "You…I thought you loved me! I thought this engagement ring meant something to you!" Rachel showed Finn the ring on her hand, shaking her head. "I thought you cared about me! Was this whole getting me back just some scheme so that Brody couldn't have me?!" Rachel took the engagement ring off her finger and threw it at Finn, who stood there dumbfounded. "So every word that you said to me, the whole loved me thing…that was just a lie, wasn't it?! Every love song you sang to me…that wasn't how you felt about me?!"

"Rachel…" Finn started to say, tears streaming down his cheeks but Rachel turned her back on him.

"Finn, right now…just leave me alone." Rachel's voice cracked as she made her way towards the door, opening the auditorium and slamming the door behind her. Finn stood there, beginning to cry, not caring if anyone was watching him cry. The love of his life just walked out the door on him, and he wasn't sure if he could fix this mess…the mess that Simone created.

_{Scene starts as Rachel walks down the NYADA hallway with tears streaming down her face, looking at everyone who's staring at her in sadness}_

_Oooooooh, Oooooooh  
Oooooooh, Oooooooh_

_You pull my strings and push my soul  
You fool my heart with every note  
You drop a beat and kiss my face  
You make me move, then cut the bass_

_And you work so hard to get me just to let me go  
Yeah, you put me in the spotlight just to steal the show  
And you try to take me home like you're DiMaggio  
Oh (oh, oh) it's such a joke_

_Why are you singing me love songs  
What good is a love song  
What good is a love song without the love  
Why are you singing me love songs  
What good is a love song  
What good is a love song without the love  
Why are we acting like lovers  
We don't know each other  
Even though we used to rule the world  
Why are you singing me love songs  
What good is a love song  
A love song without the love_

_{Scene changes to Rachel sitting in her dance class, looking through her phone with pictures of her and Finn as she wipes her tears}_

_Your so confused, it's getting old  
You wear your ring, but leave me cold  
You're beautiful but cause me pain  
You play my heart like it's a game_

_And you work so hard to get me just to let me go  
Yeah, you put me in the spotlight just to steal the show  
And you try to take me home like you're DiMaggio  
Oh (oh, oh) it's criminal_

_{Scene changes to Rachel entering the house and heading to her room as she lies on the bed sadly feeling upset}_

_Why are you singing me love songs  
What good is a love song  
What good is a love song without the love  
Why are you singing me love songs  
What good is a love song  
What good is a love song without the love  
Why are we acting like lovers  
We don't know each other  
Even though we used to rule the world  
Why are you singing me love songs  
What good is a love song  
A love song without the love_

_{Scene changes to Rachel sitting in the auditorium, spotting Finn talking to the Glee Club but he clearly looks upset and saddened}_

_This is the bend before the break  
When we forget the harmony  
This is how water colors fade  
Into distant memories_

_{Rachel continues to look at Finn and notices that he looks through his phone while Rachel continues to stare at Simone, becoming suspicious of her}_

_Why are you singing me love songs  
What good is a love song  
What good is a love song without the love  
Why are you singing me love songs  
What good is a love song  
What good is a love song without the love  
Why are we acting like lovers  
We don't know each other  
Even though we used to rule the world  
Why are you singing me love songs  
What good is a love song  
A love song without the love_

_{Rachel looks over to Finn as she slowly becomes guilty about the way she treated him, seeing that he's heartbroken as he sits on the stage}_

_Without the love  
Without the love  
Without the love  
Without the love_

_{Rachel looks down and she stares at him with a saddened expression}_

* * *

Rachel sat on the sofa that afternoon, looking through the photo album with Rachel's pictures from her high school days. As Rachel continued to look at the pictures, she saw pictures of her with Finn. There was a picture of them singing in front of a purple piano in the cafeteria, there was one of Finn teaching Rachel how to play the drums, there was one with Finn and Rachel dressed in clothing inspired by the late great Michael Jackson, there was even a picture of Rachel and Finn at Nationals. Rachel wondered if she was a little hard on Finn, after all maybe she should have given him a chance to explain things. Rachel finally shook her head, thinking that if Finn had loved her, then he wouldn't have done something so drastic as kissing Simone. Rachel was so wrapped into the photo album that she didn't hear a knock at the door. Rachel looked up, seeing Santana getting the door, becoming confused by the girl at the entrance.

"Um, Rachel…is this one of your friends from school?" Santana questioned as Rachel got up from the sofa. She walked over to the door, seeing Vicky standing there with her hands in her pockets.

"I need to talk to you, Rachel…" Vicky said, still staring at Rachel. "There's something you need to see."

* * *

A couple minutes later, Vicky set her phone down on the kitchen table as Rachel, Santana and Kurt sat there, watching the tape with Simone dancing and trying to seduce Finn. Rachel realized that Finn didn't want to be anywhere near her—and that was when she saw the kiss. Rachel's eyes widened, while Santana pounded her hand fist into her hand. Kurt looked shocked as Vicky stopped the video.

"Finn was trying to get away from Simone." Vicky explained. "And Celina is in Finn's vocal class. She saw Simone trying to seduce him again and when he was telling her that he loved you, she went in and kissed him."

"So Finn was telling the truth…" Kurt muttered.

"Simone really did kiss him." Santana added. The two friends stared at Rachel who was in shock at first. A moment later, she shook her head, clenching her fists in anger.

"That _bitch!_" Rachel screeched. Kurt and Santana had _never_ heard Rachel use language like that, so it surprised them that she did. "She thinks that she can get Finn to fall in love with her and be with him, huh?"

"Simone will do anything to get to Finn." Vicky stated. "It's weird because she didn't like Finn like that before the Glee Club happened. She looked down on anyone that wasn't on her level."

"Wait, maybe this has nothing to do with her liking Finn." Kurt suggested. Santana and Rachel gazed at Kurt with interest. "You said that Simone gets that way when there's someone on her level, right? What if _Rachel_ is on Simone's level and Simone wanted to knock Rachel down a couple pegs?"

"You really think Simone would be that shallow?" Santana questioned.

"It's a thought." Kurt said. "Excuse me if I have a Rick Castle moment here…"

"Oh, I love that show." Vicky interrupted with a smile on her face as Kurt nodded at her.

"Simone is the diva of NYADA, so she believes that she's the best of the best." Kurt said. "But what would happen if Rachel came into the picture, sang with Simone and Simone felt threatened that Rachel was better than her. I mean think about it, Rachel has everything that she could possibly want going for her. She's in NYADA, she has Finn and she's adored by everyone in the NYADA Glee Club which was a different story back in high school. Anyway, Simone wants to be the one everyone likes, but the only way to do that is to make sure Rachel stays away. That's where her plan comes into play. What if, she was able to take Finn away from her? What if, she was able to make Rachel look like the bad guy in front of the entire Glee Club. What if, Simone was number one and Rachel was stuck at the bottom. I mean it makes perfect sense."

"So you think that this Simone bitch is jealous of Rachel?" Santana asked, raising an eyebrow to Kurt.

"That is exactly what I am saying." Kurt nodded his head. "Simone is jealous of Rachel's talent and she would kill to be in the same spotlight as Rachel. Finn is only just a tool to get Rachel to sink to the bottom. Simone doesn't really have feelings for Finn. She's just doing it to annoy Finn and to get Rachel to think Finn would cheat on her, so that Rachel would dump him, thus leaving her vulnerable."

"Please tell me you didn't give Simone the satisfaction and broke up with Finn?" Santana turned to Rachel as Rachel twiddled her thumbs.

"I just told him to leave me alone…and then I took off my engagement ring and threw it at his chest." Rachel felt tears come to her eyes. "I don't really want to lose him. And now that I've seen the truth, there's no way that I want to leave Finn. It all comes down to whether or not he still wants to be with me."

"Of course Finn still wants to be with you." Vicky assured her. "He's an emotional wreck in Glee Club. Today when you weren't there, he spent the whole class looking at pictures of you and him. He really loves you, and there's no one else he'd rather be with than with you." Rachel thought for a moment, letting out a sigh.

"I just have to convince Finn that I don't want to leave him." Rachel said. She then saw the video on Vicky's phone, keeping her eyes on the Simone and Finn kiss. "If Simone wants to play hardball…then we're gonna play hardball."

* * *

The next afternoon at school, Rachel walked along the hallways towards the auditorium in hopes that she could talk to Finn and sort all of this out. Finn had spent the night on the couch, afraid that Rachel was still upset with him and was really considering breaking up with him. On the contrary, Rachel wanted to be with him, no matter how difficult it may have been. Rachel heard whispering at the door of the NYADA auditorium, putting her ear to the door. She knew there was something in there, she just wasn't sure what. Rachel moved back when she heard someone come towards the entrance, and out came Dustin as if he was looking for someone.

"Rachel, glad to see you." Dustin didn't give Rachel a chance to say anything. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the auditorium, leading her down the ramp. "There's something the Glee Club wanted to sing to you, and we think that you're going to like it a lot." Rachel thought about Dustin's words, taking a seat in one of the chairs. She stared out at the stage, realizing the person walking to the front of the stage was Finn…and it looked like he was dressed as if he was in a 90's boy band…most likely N'SYNC.

"Finn, why are you dressed like you're from a different time era?" Rachel couldn't help but ask. Finn looked at her with a small smile, hoping that she was on his way to forgiving him.

"I'm dressed like this because I remembered once you always wanted to see me in a boy band in the Glee Club back in Lima." Finn admitted. "Since I never did that, I decided that I would try it here. Rachel…you have to believe me, I would _never_ do something as stupid as to break your heart, especially after I worked so hard to get it back. You mean the world to me, and there's nothing that I would rather do than to be with you. You're amazing, you're beautiful, you're talented…you're a treasure. I love you so much…and there's no one that I want to be with than you. I know you probably don't believe me right now, but I want to show you just how much I care about you…I'm only in love with you, Rachel…just in love with you."

_{Music starts up and Finn walks on the stage as the other members of the Finn Harmonic (minus Simone) come on the stage and join Finn}_

_[Finn]  
I love a girl in a whole other language  
People look at us strange  
Don't understand us  
They try to change it  
I try to tell her don't change_

_We talk love and they say it sounds crazy  
But love's even more wild when you're angry  
Don't understand why you wanna change it  
Girl, listen to me_

_{Finn walks over to Rachel and looks her in the eye as she continues to keep a straight face at him}_

_[Finn with the Finn Harmonic]  
Girl, you're just running from the truth  
And I'm scared of losing you  
You are worth too much to lose  
Baby, if you're still confused_

_Girl, I'm just in love with you  
Girl, I'm just in love with you  
No other words to use  
Girl I'm just in love with you  
Girl, I'm just in love with you_

_{Finn holds out his hand for Rachel to take and Rachel takes his hand with a small smile creeping on her face}_

_[Finn]  
When I tell you "I would never leave you"  
Do you hear what I say  
Don't understand you  
You say you need time  
But you've been calling all day_

_We talk love and they say it sounds crazy  
But love's even more wild when you're angry  
Don't understand why you wanna change it  
Girl, listen to me_

_{Finn leads her to the stage as the other Finn Harmonic members surround her and Finn looks into Rachel's eyes}_

_[Finn]  
Girl, you're just running from the truth  
And I'm scared of losing you  
You are worth too much to lose  
Baby, if you're still confused_

_Girl, I'm just in love with you  
Girl, I'm just in love with you  
No other words to use  
Girl I'm just in love with you  
Girl, I'm just in love with you_

_{Finn holds Rachel close to him and Rachel continues to stare into his eyes as he looks down at her}_

_[Finn]  
Never knew what we have  
They don't understand  
Words are just a waste of time  
We know this is real  
And I know how you feel  
When you put your hand in mine_

_{Finn twirls Rachel around as Rachel's smile turns into a huge grin and the other members of Finn Harmonic smile at them}_

_[Finn Harmonic]  
Girl, I'm just in love with you  
Girl, I'm just in love with you_

_[Finn with Finn Harmonic]  
No other words to use  
Girl, I'm just in love with you (Finn: Let me say it again, let me say it again)  
Girl, I'm just in love with you (Finn: Just in love)  
Girl, I'm just in love with you_

As soon as the music ended, Rachel stared at Finn with a wide grin, leaning up to him and pressing a kiss on his lips. The other Finn Harmonic members shouted in joy while Finn hugged Rachel tightly, relieved that he hadn't lost the girl he loved. They would still have to talk it out later, but for now just being together was enough for them.

* * *

After school, Finn and Rachel sat in a booth at a nearby Starbucks, while Rachel took a sip of her coffee. Finn looked up to her, wondering if he should say anything. Sure, the kiss at the auditorium was good and they did hold hands all the way to Starbucks, but Rachel hadn't said anything to him. He was beginning to worry that Rachel was pulling an act just to assure the Glee group that everything was well. Rachel looked up at Finn, folding her hands and still trying to find the words to say to him.

"Finn…" Rachel muttered, staring at him. Finn looked at her, raising an eyebrow while holding his hot chocolate close to him. Finn never understood why people drank coffee. Frankly, he found it to be the worst drink ever made. Rachel looked at him, fumbling with her hands. "First…I want to say that the performance you did with the Glee Club was beautiful. It was beautiful and I loved it. I just found it odd that Simone wasn't there."

"Simone wasn't there…because I didn't tell her about it." Finn admitted, looking into her eyes. "Rachel, I saw the look on your face when you found out that Simone kissed me and I'll never forget that look. It was full of sadness and, it was something that I don't ever want to see from you. I'm sorry that you were hurt but you have to believe me that it wasn't what it looked like. I want to be with you…and there's no one else I want to be with. I just don't want to lose you again."

"I know that you didn't kiss Simone." Rachel sadly looked him in his eyes. "I mean you _did_ kiss her but you…didn't kiss her. What I mean is…Vicky showed me the video of Simone trying to seduce you and the fact you were handcuffed to a chair. And here I went, thinking I was crazy." Finn chuckled at Rachel's comment, but stopped when he noticed tears forming in Rachel's eyes. "Finn…I am so sorry. I…I feel like such an idiot doing that to you." Finn put a hand in hers, still looking at her.

"Rachel…it's okay…" Finn assured her, but Rachel didn't want to hear it. She shook her head, the tears falling from her face as she stared at him.

"I didn't give you a chance to explain what happened. You were guilty until proven innocent. You deserve someone who's better than me…I'm not worthy." Rachel sobbed as Finn went next to her, wiping some of the tears off her face.

"I don't want anyone else Rachel." Finn firmly said, looking into her eyes. "I love _you_. I'm not leaving you for anything. You're my whole world…I'd be completely and utterly lost without you, Rachel Berry." Finn got up from his seat, getting down on one knee as Rachel stared at him, releasing a small smile.

"Finn, what are you doing?" Rachel asked yet she couldn't help but giggle.

"What does it look like I'm doing? You threw the ring at me, so…I'm going to propose to you again…at Starbucks." Finn took out the ring that Rachel had thrown at him, causing Rachel to laugh slightly. "Rachel Barbra Berry…will you do the honor of being my wife…and I'm pretty desperate. I'm proposing in a Starbucks for crying out loud." Finn and Rachel eyed one another as Rachel nodded her head.

"Yes, yes Finn Hudson I will marry you." Rachel grinned from ear to ear. Finn put the ring on Rachel's ring finger, going up to her and kissing her lips. Finn and Rachel heard applause from all of the patrons that were there, but they were lost in the moment that they didn't really care. Finn parted his lips from Rachel's as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm really sorry about what happened, Finn." Rachel apologized again.

"It's okay…" Finn softly assured her, giving her one more kiss. "I love you Rachel…so, _so_ much."

"I love you too, Finn." Rachel grinned, giving him a kiss on his cheek. Rachel noticed Finn's hot chocolate sitting on the table as she grabbed it, taking a smell from it. "Hmm…this smells pretty good."

"Oh really?" Finn chuckled. "Well, I don't know how you can drink coffee. It tastes terrible."

"Coffee does not taste terrible, Finn." Rachel got up from her seat, getting on the line as Finn gave her a confused expression.

"Where are you going?" Finn called out while Rachel stood on line.

"I'm getting you a cup of coffee." Rachel smiled, reaching the cashier. Finn watched her make the order, then she brought the sugar and the cream along with the coffee to Finn's table. "Here, add a little bit of sugar and then some cream. Tell me how it tastes."

"I'm not going to like it." Finn grimaced, opening the lid to the coffee container. He poured a bit of half-and-half, and then added a bit of sugar. Finn looked down at the coffee, smelling it while scrunching his face. "This smells pretty…odd."

"Just try it." Rachel urged him on. Finn smelled the coffee once more, finally putting the coffee to his lips. Finn's face twisted in disgust, going to the sugar once again and staring at her.

"Rachel, this tastes terrible." Finn poured more sugar into the coffee as Rachel's eyes widened. She realized Finn was pouring more and more sugar into the cup, not caring if he had emptied the sugar container. "Hopefully some more sugar will do."

"Finn, you can't add all that sugar!" Rachel exclaimed, her eyes still widened by her fiancé's boldness. "Finn…you could get sick like that."

"I'm going to try it with all this sugar. You were the one that said that I should try coffee." Finn playfully smirked, putting the coffee to his lips. Finn let out a nervous deep breath, hoping that all the sugar he just added would do the trick. Finn put the coffee to his lips again, this time coughing in disgust. Finn grabbed a napkin and wiped his lips, causing Rachel to laugh. "I'm sorry baby, but I am never going to like coffee."

"Never, ever?" Rachel giggled as Finn took his hot chocolate from her.

"Never ever." Finn declared, sipping his hot chocolate while giving her a smile. "You know Rachel…we should go home."

"Really? Why?" Rachel raised an eyebrow to him.

"Because no one is home right now." Finn plainly said. "Kurt is still working at Vogue and Santana is working at the art gallery tonight with Dani." Finn got up from the table, grabbing the cup of coffee and hot chocolate as Rachel took a sip of her coffee. "Don't you want the loft to yourself?"

"Why do I think this has more to do with you, than it has to do with me?" Rachel giggled, watching Finn throwing out the coffee.

"This has to do with the both of us." Finn grabbed Rachel's hand, intertwining his fingers with hers as they left Starbucks to race back to the loft in order to spend the evening together without interruptions.

* * *

Rachel lay in bed with Finn late that night, looking into each other's eyes after they had finished their lovemaking for the evening, still baffled that even after Simone tried to break them up, here they were to stay. Rachel gazed at Finn, seeing that he was tracing circles on her bare shoulder.

"Finn." Rachel chuckled, seeing that he was still content with just tracing circles on her shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" Finn absentmindedly said, still looking at Rachel with a smile. "Is something wrong with this?"

"Well…for one thing, you're kind of pushing for round six." Rachel half joked. She then turned serious as she pressed a kiss on his lips. She parted, running a hand through his hair. "I love you, Finn…forever and always."

"What's this, a Taylor Swift song?" Finn joked, leaning in to kiss Rachel once again. Rachel continued to look at Finn, shaking her head in amazement. "What? What's wrong?" Finn realized Rachel's face expression.

"You're just amazing…" Rachel muttered, wondering if she should continue her thought. "I was just thinking maybe that…you're…well…I still don't get what you see in me. I mean you're the head of the Glee Club, you know where you're going with your life and…I'm…I'm your…"

"Rachel." Finn finished her sentence before Rachel could finish her thought. Rachel smiled at Finn, nodding her head slowly.

"I'm your Rachel…I love the sound of that." Rachel softly said as Finn nuzzled his nose into Rachel's neck. Rachel giggled, still looking at her fiancé. She liked the sound of that—_fiancé. _

"You should…because soon you're going to be Mrs. Hudson." Finn smiled, gazing into her eyes. "Which reminds me…where do you want to have the wedding?"

"The wedding?" Rachel gazed at Finn with interest. She had just recently blown his mind yet he was interested in the wedding?

"Yeah, I mean…we have to start thinking about it." Finn grinned. "Besides, it wouldn't hurt."

"That's true…" Rachel nodded her head, still looking at him. "But do we have to think about it today? I mean there's…so many things we have to do. We have to work on the Glee Club…and then we have to go to Lima for New Directions Sectionals…remember that?"

"I remember, I remember." Finn nodded his head, pressing a kiss to Rachel's forehead. "I just want to think about us…"

"And we will…all right?" Rachel assured him. Finn wrapped an arm around her as the couple stared at the ceiling. "And you're right….so I think the wedding should be in Lima. But before my _Funny Girl_ audition."

"When is that?" Finn wondered.

"Two months from now." Rachel stared at him. "But…I understand if it's too much to plan in two months so…"

"No…two months from now is perfect." Finn quickly said as Rachel calmed a bit. "Two months is perfect. All we have to do is get a place, some food and the music…and we need to tell everyone that's not Kurt and Santana about the engagement."

"Right…" Rachel took a deep breath, then turned to Finn with a grin. "Finn, can I request something?"

"Anything you want, baby." Finn nodded his head as Rachel smiled the biggest smile she possibly could. Rachel gave Finn a passionate kiss as they both fell back on the bed, both feeling in complete bliss for the first time since the 'Simone incident'.

* * *

_{Scene changes to Rachel standing on the stage in a royal blue shirt and a black skirt while the other Finn Harmonic members wear the same color scheme. Rachel stares at Finn from across the stage, singing to him with a smile on her face}_

_[Rachel]  
I was reminiscing just the other day  
While having coffee all alone and lord it took me away  
Back to a first glance feeling on New York Time  
When you fit in my poems like a perfect rhyme  
Took off faster than a green light go  
Yeah you skip the conversation when you already know  
I left a note on the door with the joke we made  
And that was the first date_

_And darling it was good  
Never looking down  
And right there where we stood  
Was Holy Ground_

_{Finn walks to the other side of the stage and stares into Rachel's eyes as she smiles at him. Simone eyes Rachel and Finn in jealousy as she rolls her eyes at Rachel}_

_Spinning like a girl in a brand new dress  
We had this big wide city all to ourselves  
We block the noise with the sound of "I need you"  
And for the first time I had something to lose  
And I guess we fell apart in the usual way  
And the story's got dust on every page  
But sometimes I wonder how you think about it now  
And I see your face in every crowd_

_[Rachel and Finn]  
Cause darling it was good (Finn Harmoic: Doodle-ay, Doodle-ay)  
Never looking down (Finn Harmonic: Doodle-ay, Doodle-ay)  
And right there where we stood (Finn Harmonic: Doodle-ay, Doodle-ay)  
Was Holy Ground (Finn Harmonic: Doodle-ay, Doodle-ay)_

_{Scene changes to Simone walking down the hallway to the dance studio as she opens the door. She sees Cassandra and Brody standing there while letting out a smirk. Simone smirks back at them.}_

_[Finn with Finn Harmonic]  
Doodle-ay, Doodle-ay, Doodle-ay, yeah  
Doodle-ay, Doodle-ay, Doodle-ay, yeah_

_{Scene changes to Rachel, Finn and the Finn Harmonic dancing on the stage but Simone continues to shake her head at Rachel}_

_[Rachel]  
Tonight I'm gonna dance  
For all that we've been through  
But I don't wanna dance  
If I'm not dancing with you_

_[Rachel and Finn]  
Tonight I'm gonna dance  
Like you were in this room  
But I don't wanna dance  
If I'm not dancing with you_

_{Finn twirls Rachel around and Rachel smiles at him with a grin and the other members minus Simone smile at them}_

_[Rachel]  
It was good  
Never looking down  
Right there where we stood  
Was Holy Ground_

_[Finn Harmonic]  
Doodle-ay, Doodle-ay, Doodle-ay, yeah  
Doodle-ay, Doodle-ay, Doodle-ay, yeah_

_{Finn and Rachel get closer to each other and stare into each other's eyes, letting out a wide grin}_

_[Rachel and Finn]  
Tonight I'm gonna dance  
For all that we've been through  
But I don't wanna dance  
If I'm not dancing with you_

_Tonight I'm gonna dance  
Like you were in this room  
But I don't wanna dance  
If I'm not dancing with you_

_{Finn leans in and kisses Rachel and the members clap while Simone shakes her head, keeping her eyes on Rachel in anger}_

* * *

_**GUEST STARRING**_

_**Ariana Grande as Simone Barberrie**_

_**Victoria Justice as Vicky Martinez**_

_**Jesse McCartney as Dustin Shafer**_

_**Cassadee Pope as Celina Jones**_

_**Olesya Rulin as Melissa Stewart**_

_**Dean Geyer as Brody Weston**_

_**Kate Hudson as Cassandra July**_

_**SONG(S):**_

_**Without The Love (Originally by Demi Lovato): Performed by Rachel Berry**_

_**Just In Love (Originally by Joe Jonas): Performed by Finn Hudson and Finn Harmonic**_

_**Holy Ground (Originally by Taylor Swift): Performed by Rachel Berry and Finn Hudson with Finn Harmonic**_


	11. 1x11: Homeward Bound

**_Episode Synopsis: _**_Finn, Rachel, Santana and Kurt go home to Lima for New Directions Sectionals, but Finn finds out something pertaining to his family, which could strain his relationship with his mother forever. Kurt prepares to go with Burt to his first chemotherapy session._

**_Disclaimer: _**_I do not own Glee, but I wish I did. So...did anyone enjoy the new Glee episode last night? I thought it was great but Finn was missing...Glee feels hollow without him. Anyway, enjoy the episode!_

* * *

_{Scene shows Finn walking through the terminal of an airport with his suitcase in his hand and a smile on his face}_

_**Finn Voice Over:**_

_New York the last couple of weeks has been such a grind, but the grind is worth it. I mean there's so much going on in New York that I don't know if I could list them all. Well, I'll try: _

_{Scene changes to a flashback of Finn and Rachel sitting on the couch watching _Funny Girl_ while Rachel studies Barbra Streisand intently}_

_Rachel has an audition for the musical _Funny Girl_, so we spent most of our time in front of the television watching the movie just so Rachel could get the idea of how to act like Barbra in the show. Not sure if that was what she should have taken away from the movie. _

_{Scene changes to a flashback of Kurt sitting in his room, looking at his photo album with pictures of him and Burt}_

_Anyway, then there's Kurt. He's been stressing out about Burt's first chemotherapy session. I told him that Burt was going to be fine, but I don't think Kurt actually believes me. I even looked up what was going to happen during the chemotherapy sessions during my lunch at school. Burt can't drink anything cold, he might be nauseous for a few day, especially the first week and it's possible he could lose his hair—although I don't think the losing hair is going to be a problem for him._

_{Scene changes to a flashback of Santana coming in the loft with paintings, putting them down and heading to the kitchen to get something to eat}_

_And then we have Santana. Santana has been dating Dani, the girl that works for the art gallery and the diner for a little over a month now. Santana tells me she's happy but she keeps doing these little things that reminds Rachel, Kurt and I of Brittany. I mean, Brittany was Santana's first true love. I thought they would be endgame forever…I guess when Santana met Dani, all went to hell, kind of like one of those romantic comedies that have the cheesy twists and turns in them._

_{Scene changes to Finn sitting in the airport terminal, looking through his phone with a smile}_

_As for me, I have a lot of things going on in my life. I'm getting married to the love of my life, I'm running a Glee Club that could use a few more members but other than that, they sound better than my mother howling in the shower and I finally learned the ropes of NYADA. Sure, it was a pain in the ass in the beginning, trying to fight off Brody, fighting off Cassandra July and now fighting off Simone who has a huge crush on me that it's not even funny, but just knowing that Rachel goes there makes everything worthwhile. So you may be asking, why am I in an airport if I'm so happy with my life in New York? The answer is simple: sometimes a guy just wants to go home and visit his mother, say hi to his stepdad and sleep with his fiancée in his old teenage bedroom—if it hasn't been converted into a sports room yet. Yep, everything was going to be just fine. _

_{Rachel walks up to Finn holding plane tickets while Kurt and Santana stand on line. Finn grabs Rachel's hand as he places a kiss on her forehead, walking together towards the line}_

_I feel like that movie with the cat and the two dogs going homeward bound—now…if I can remember the name of that movie…_

_{Santana, Kurt, Rachel and Finn walk through the terminal with smiles on their faces}_

* * *

Quinn Fabray sat in the auditorium of the William McKinley High School, pacing back and forth, observing her old auditorium. It had been a long time since she had stood in this spot, singing out to a crowd—except she was alone. She came to Lima because she heard that New Directions were performing during Sectionals, and of course because Mr. Schuester invited her to see the competition. She was hoping that the other alumni were going to be here…she did have to admit that it was a bit lonesome standing on a stage by herself. Quinn looked out to the empty auditorium seats, feeling the urge to sing. She usually didn't have urges to sing—but it wasn't everyday she was home in Lima, back in her old high school where she grew as a person. She was going to embrace it anyway she could.

_[Quinn]  
I'm sitting in a railway station  
Got a ticket for my destination, oh_

_{Shows Noah "Puck" Puckerman entering the auditorium, walking over to her and giving her a hug as they look at the empty crowd}_

_[Puck]  
On a tour of one night stands  
My suitcase and guitar in hand_

_[Quinn and Puck]  
And every stop is neatly planned  
For a poet and a one man band_

_{Shows Mike Chang and Santana entering the auditorium, leaning against one of the chairs that were there}_

_[Mike]  
This wave_

_[Santana and Mike]  
Wave, that's stringing us along (Santana: along)_

_[Quinn and Mike]  
Just know you're not alone_

_[Mike]  
Cause I'm gonna make this place your home_

_{Kurt enters the auditorium and stares over at the rest of them, heading over to Quinn on the stage and hugging her}_

_[Kurt]  
Every day's an endless dream  
of cigarettes and magazines, oh_

_{Rachel and Mercedes Jones enter the auditorium looking at one another and embracing in a hug}_

_[Rachel and Mercedes]  
And each town looks the same to me  
The movies and the factories  
And every strangers face I see  
Reminds me that I long to be_

_{Finn enters the auditorium as the alumni head on the stage, getting into a group hug while singing}_

_[Finn with New Directions Alumni]  
The trouble it might drag you down  
If you get lost you can always be found_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
Just know you're not alone (Mercedes: No you're not alone)  
Cause I'm gonna make this place your home_

_[Rachel, Finn, Kurt, Mercedes, Santana, Quinn, Mike and Puck]  
Ah, ha, ah, ha, ah, ah, ah (Santana: When my thoughts are sleepy)  
Ah, ha, ah, ha, ah, ah, ah (Mercedes: Where my music's playing)  
Ah, ha, ah, ha, ah, ah, ah (Kurt: Oh)  
Ah, ha, ah, ha, ah, ah, ah (Quinn: Where my love life's waiting silently for me)_

_[Finn, Rachel, Puck, Mike and Santana]  
Settle down, it will all be clear  
The trouble it might drag you down  
If you get lost you can always be found_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
Just know you're not alone (Mercedes: No you're not alone)_

_[New Directions Alumni]  
Cause I'm gonna make this place your home_

_Ah, ha, ah, ha, ah, ah,  
Ah, ha, ah, ha, ah, ah, (Santana: Where my music's playing)  
Ah, ha, ah, ha, ah, ah,  
Ah, ha, ah, ha, ah, ah, (Mercedes: I'm gonna make, I'm gonna make, make this place your home)  
Ah, ha, ah, ha, ah, ah, (Mercedes: Know you're not alone)  
Ah, ha, ah, ha, ah, ah, (Santana: Where my music's playing)  
Ah, ha, ah, ha, ah, ah,(Kurt: Oh)  
Ah, ha, ah, ha, ah, ah, (Mercedes: I'm gonna make this place your home)  
Ah, ha, ah, ha, ah, ah,  
Ah, ha, ah, ha, ah, ah,  
Ah, ha, ah, ha, ah, ah, (Rachel: No you're not alone)  
Ah, ha, ah, ha, ah, ah, (Mercedes: Oh)_

* * *

After their singing reunion, the alumni decided to go to _Breadstix_ to get some dinner before they had to be at the school in the morning. There were a lot of news going around for the New Direction alumni, each of them talking about their goals and their accomplishments. During the conversations, Finn kept finding his eyes gazing over to Rachel, giving her a small smile as Rachel looked back at him.

"Finn. Earth to Finn." Finn turned his head, seeing Mercedes was holding her soda cup close to her lips. "You're a little distracted. I thought you'd be interested in hearing that Mike had gotten the lead dancing role to _The Nutcracker_ at his school."

"Oh wow. I'm sorry man." Finn apologized to Mike, nodding his head. "Congrats. That's amazing."

"No worries, Finn." Mike waved it off. "It's okay. Hey, almost everyone shared what was going on with them. What's going on with you?" Finn turned to his friends, staring over at Rachel. Rachel folded her hands, giving him a wide grin as Finn became a bit nervous.

"Well, if we're going to start…I got into school in New York City." Finn shrugged his shoulders, giving them a grin.

"Really? You got into a New York school?" Mercedes asked. "Which one?" Finn stammered, not wanting the others to think that was a theatre nerd. Finn sighed, looking at all of them.

"NYADA." Finn admitted, looking down at his drink.

"Wait, you're going to the New York Academy of Dramatic Arts?" Mike pointed to Finn, moving his pointed finger over to Rachel. "Isn't that the school you go to, Rachel?"

"Yeah, it is." Rachel admitted, looking into Finn's eyes. "He's done such a fantastic job at school."

"Do you do any extra-curricular activities?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, I mean someone at NYADA would want to build their resume." Mercedes added. Finn nodded his head, looking at his friends.

"I run the Glee Club that's there." Finn said. "They reminded me of us when we were first starting out. I think they were just a bit worse because they _all_ wanted the spotlight and it wasn't just Rachel."

"Hey!" Rachel exclaimed while the other Glee members laughed. Finn wrapped an arm around Rachel's shoulders, pressing a kiss on her forehead.

"I was joking, babe." Finn gave Rachel his signature smirk, his expression changing as if he was thinking. "Well…I was half joking." Rachel playfully hit Finn in the chest while the others stared laughing hysterically. Finn looked to the others as Rachel nodded her head to him, wanting to tell their news. "All right, so Rachel and I have something to announce."

"Does it have to do with the fact that you live at the loft and I can never get beauty sleep at three in the morning?" Santana jested. Finn mimicked Santana, rolling his eyes playfully while the others stared at Finn and Rachel intently.

"Spit it out, man. What is the news?!" Puck became exasperated. Finn and Rachel nodded their heads, Rachel holding her engagement ring up.

"We're getting married!" Finn exclaimed as Rachel's grin illuminated the room. Quinn looked to Kurt and Santana while Mike, Mercedes and Puck seemed surprised.

"That's awesome dude." Puck finally said. "So when's the baby's due date?"

"What?" Finn furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "There is no baby."

"I'm not pregnant." Rachel shook her head, still staring at Puck. "We're getting married because we want to get married. Look, it's obvious that Finn and I love each other very much and I don't want there to be a day where he's not my husband. We're having the wedding two months from now, right before my audition for _Funny Girl_."

"Wait…you got an audition for _Funny Girl_?" Kurt surprisingly stared at his best friend. "Why didn't you tell us this?"

"Because I wanted to make sure that I had the part, that's why." Rachel knew that Kurt was trying to deter the fact that she was talking about marriage.

"So you're going to get married before Christmas?" Quinn asked.

"Right before Christmas." Rachel said, looking at Finn who smiled fondly back at her. "I was thinking maybe around my birthday if it would be all right"

"All right, the official date; we're getting married _on_ Rachel's birthday." Finn saw the others still gazing over at him.

"Finn are you sure that you're thinking clearly?" Mercedes asked, wanting to make sure that Finn wasn't being rash. "I mean, marriage is a big step. You can't just break up with Rachel if something goes wrong. I'm not saying something will go wrong but there is a slight possibility."

"I'm not going to divorce Rachel, _ever_." Finn seemed sure. "Look, I understand if you all think we're crazy but this is something Rachel and I both want…and I'm going to talk to my mom and Mr. Schue about it. It's just I wanted to tell you guys first since we've all been through so much together. I thought you'd really understand.

"We do understand, Finn." Quinn nodded her head, although to be honest she wasn't understanding at all. "It's just that you are going to be 19 years old. Are you sure this is something you want?"

"There's no doubt in my mind." Finn didn't hesitate with his answer. "Rachel and I are getting married and nothing would make me happier."

"And we would love it if all of you could come." Rachel added. "We'd love it because you are all our friends and nothing would be better than to see you there."

"Now…who wants dessert?" Finn officially changed the subject, the others staring at him in confusion. They couldn't help but worry about their friends. Finn and Rachel almost got married once and it didn't work out. They really hoped Finn and Rachel knew what they were doing.

* * *

After dinner, Finn and Rachel went over to Finn's old house to visit Carole and Burt. Finn was a bit nervous to go home. For one thing, he hadn't seen Burt since he left for the army and his mother hadn't seen him since graduation. Finn had been meaning to tell his parents that he was in New York, but he never could find the time. Finn stood in front of the door of his house, wondering if he should enter. Finn felt someone's hand fall perfectly into his, turning his head and seeing Rachel beaming up at him.

"It's going to be okay." Rachel whispered, nodding her head. Finn rang the doorbell, hearing someone come to the door. The door opened to reveal Carole, who looked like she was in the midst of washing the dishes since her hands had soap on them.

"Oh, my baby's home!" Carole hugged Finn tightly as Finn laughed happily. "Oh I missed you, baby."

"I missed you too, mom." Finn grinned, nodding his head with a smile. His smile diminished, looking to her with a sad expression. "I'm sorry I didn't call you after the army fiasco. I was just so embarrassed and I…"

"Honey, it's okay." Carole assured him. "I probably would have been embarrassed too." Carole eyed Rachel, giving her a warm smile. "Rachel, honey. It's so wonderful to see you."

"It's great to see you too." Rachel smiled at Carole. Rachel walked over to Carole, hugging her tightly.

"Hey, mom…" Finn started to say, seeing that her attention was focused to him. "Can we come in, there's something that I wanted to talk to you about?"

"Sure, honey. Come in." Carole motioned for Rachel and Finn to enter the house. Finn entered the kitchen, grabbing a chair for Rachel to sit in, before plopping down in the chair next to her. Finn turned his head to his mother who sat in the chair opposite from her son. "What's the matter, Finn? Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine." Finn quickly assured his mother. He looked over to Rachel who gave him a nod, Finn looking back at Carole. "There's something I want to tell you."

"What is it?" Carole suddenly became concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Well, Rachel and I have been together for a long time…I know it's been on and off but…that's because every time I would go looking into the sea, trying to find another girl I knew that there was never going to be another girl like Rachel. Which is why…" Finn took a deep breath, looking at his mother. "We're getting married." Carole admitted that she was a bit shocked, still looking into Finn's eyes.

"You're getting married? Finn you're only 18 years old. I don't think that getting married is a part of the plan." Carole tried to reason with him.

"Mom, I love you but this is something that I have to do." Finn's voice was soft yet firm. "I love Rachel, and there's nothing I want more than to marry her. I don't want to end up like my father. He proved he wasn't good enough for you and now he's dead. I don't want to be the same way. I want to be a man that Rachel and you can be proud of…I'm going to do this. All I ask is you give me just a little bit of support." Carole continued to look at Finn, her face softening as she gave him a sad smile.

"Finn, I don't agree with your decision." Carole simply said. Finn was about to argue until Carole put her hand up, stating she wasn't finished talking yet. "I don't agree…but I'm going to support you. If marrying Rachel is what you want, then who am I to get in the way of true love." Finn smiled as Carole cupped Finn's face into her hands. "If you're sure…you have to be sure this is what you want, Finn. Marriage isn't the same as dating your girlfriend. It's a little different and a little more complicated.

"I know it is." Finn nodded his head, agreeing. "But I know that whatever happens to Rachel and I, we can work it out. We always work it out. I know that things will get more serious, but this is something we thought long and hard about. I mean, I proposed twice to her."

"Twice?" Carole raised an eyebrow.

"It's a long story." Finn waved it off. "Mom, all I want is you and Burt there. It's in two months from now."

"Whoa, Finn." Carole put her hand up, still looking at her son. "Two months? Finn, that's a lot of planning. Are you sure that you can plan an entire wedding in two months?"

"It's going to be very small." Finn countered. "Rachel and I are going to only invite friends and family. We were thinking about having it at the church by McKinley…they only charge $100 an hour to rent space and then we could have the reception here."

"No." Carole shook her head, causing Finn to look heartbroken. He knew that his mother didn't approve of him getting married so young, but did she have to rip his heart out while doing it? Carole grabbed Finn's hands, staring into her sons eyes. "You're not having a wedding at a random church and you're not having a reception here—because it's not special enough."

"What?" Finn became confused by his mother's words. Was she accepting the wedding or not?

"It's not special enough. Rachel's a very special girl, so she deserves the best…is there somewhere that you two could get married that is special to the both of you? Think very hard." Finn considered his mother's suggestion, Finn breaking his head over it. He finally snapped his fingers, getting an idea.

"How about we get married on the auditorium stage of McKinley! That's where Rachel and I had our first kiss." Finn smiled. He turned his head, seeing Rachel was sitting there, staring at him and his mother with a broad smile. Finn had almost forgotten Rachel was still in the kitchen—she was a little too quiet. "Rachel? Does getting married at McKinley sound a little…odd to you?"

"No." Rachel shook her head, still grinning at her fiancé. "I think that getting married at McKinley is perfect. Remember…you can't ever forget your roots, and I don't plan on doing that."

"Neither do I. So…it's perfect?" Finn continued to stare at Rachel, seeing she was nodding her head.

"It's perfect." Rachel leaned in to press a quick kiss to Finn's lips, getting up from the table and giving Carole a hug.

"I know you two are going to be very happy with one another." Carole said. "Oh Finn, Mr. Schuester called and he said that he knew you were in town. He's wondering if you, Rachel, Kurt and Santana could show up for a bit and help the New Directions."

"Sure, no problem." Finn quickly agreed. "I actually can't wait to meet the new members of New Directions."

"Neither can I." Rachel smiled. "I mean, it's been so long since we've been there."

"You don't think that he's going to ask us to sing a duet, do you?" Finn wondered. "I mean, I noticed we're always singing duets in Glee Club."

"You never know, he might." Rachel shrugged her shoulders, going up to Finn's old bedroom. "Do you mind if just take a small nap, Mrs. Hudson? It's been a very long plane ride."

"Of course sweetheart." Carole nodded her head with a grin. Rachel walked up the stairs as Finn eyed his mother. She gave Finn a smirk, looking at her son with interest. "So Finn…how's the loft in New York City?"

"It's great!" Finn exclaimed; his face lighting up. "I mean, it's fantastic. I love it."

"You do?" Carole smirked. "What's the best part? The fact you get to do whatever you want whenever you want?"

"What do you mean?" Finn's smile disappeared, staring at his mother. Carole took the cup of coffee she had on the table and brought it to her lips.

"I don't know, you're a man now, Finn." Carole slightly joked. "I just want to know if you're being careful…"

"Careful, with what?" Finn blankly continued looking at his mother, looking innocent.

"Kurt told me you and Rachel had a pregnancy scare." Carole said. "Finn, I'm glad you want to get married to someone you love…but please, no grandchildren until you graduate college."

"Noted." Finn quickly said, wanting to change the subject.

"So, just wondering, you are being safe now, right?" Carole wondered. Finn rubbed is temples, looking to his mother.

"Mom? I'm done talking about it." Finn stated, now wanting to change the subject.

"Do you want some coffee?" Carole got up to head to the pot to get Finn a cup, but Finn held his hand up, holding his other hand to his stomach.

"No coffee…not now…" Finn cringed, feeling his stomach twist and turn just thinking about the last time he drank coffee—pouring too much sugar wasn't the best idea. "Not ever."

* * *

The next morning, Finn and Rachel were lying in Finn's old bedroom, marveling by how much Finn had grown up in the few short months from graduation to him being in college. Sure, Finn still had the airplanes that he made hanging on the top of the ceiling and of course, there were pictures and posters of his idols (and also some models) on his wall, but Rachel didn't mind at all. She knew that she had Finn's heart, no matter how beautiful the models looked. Finn stared into Rachel's eyes, seeing that she was staring back at him, intertwining her hands in his.

"What are you thinking about?" Finn muttered as he leaned in and pressed a kiss to Rachel's forehead.

"I wasn't really thinking about anything." Rachel admitted, still gazing at Finn. "Well, I kind of was thinking about something."

"What was it?" Finn asked, shrugging his shoulders. He wanted to really know what Rachel was thinking.

"Well, I was thinking about you and me…our future together." Rachel continued to look at Finn. "I mean, I know it sounds quite odd and frightening…but…"

"No, it's not." Finn stopped her. "I've been thinking about our future too. I mean, I was thinking about owning a house with maybe two to three kids and then we could have a dog…I'm hoping if I'm good, I can name the dog 'Drizzle'."

"What is your obsession with the name 'Drizzle'?" Rachel giggled, running a hand through Finn's hair. "Are you a fan of drizzling fudge on your ice cream?"

"I don't know. I remember I was thinking of baby names…because I thought Quinn's baby was mine…you know how it is." Finn shrugged his shoulders, playing with a lightened lock of Rachel's hair. "And I was looking up the craziest baby names that there possibly were. I mean, I saw Joel Madden from Good Charlotte named his son Sparrow, Beyoncé and Jay-Z named their daughter Blue Ivy, Kanye West and that Kardashian named their kid North and Gwenyth Paltrow has a daughter named Apple. I figured if they could have crazy names for their kids, then we can have one too."

"Finn…" Rachel laughed, pulling him close to her and pressing kisses on his lips. "I love you…" Rachel mumbled against his lips as Finn pulled her on top of him. Finn pressed a kiss on Rachel's forehead, rubbing her cheeks with his thumb, giving her a smile.

"And I love you, Rachel." Finn kissed her once more, Rachel running her hands through Finn's hair as they began to make out. There was a knock at the door, Finn emitting a slight groan while his lips were pressed to Rachel's. "Who is it?!" Finn yelled.

"It's Burt, your stepfather." Burt yelled from the other side of the door. Rachel covered her mouth with her hand, stifling a chuckle. "It's breakfast time, and you're supposed to meet Mr. Schuester at school." Finn released a sigh as Rachel continued holding in her laughter. "By the way," Burt's voice yelled once again. "I don't know what you and Rachel do in New York, but it's not happening in this house, mister. Get dressed!" After Finn and Rachel were sure that Burt had left, Finn groaned, taking a pillow from the side and putting it on his face.

"Feel free to suffocate me, if you'd like." Finn mumbled from underneath the pillow. Rachel took the pillow off Finn's face, giving Finn a kiss on his lips while she cupped his cheeks.

"Why would I do that?" Rachel got off Finn, grabbing her bathrobe to put it over tank top and pajama short shorts.

"A guy can't get some love from his fiancée." Finn groaned as Rachel pulled him off the bed.

"Come on babe, let's go…" Rachel kissed him once more, heading out of the door while Finn grabbed his bathrobe. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

Finn, Rachel, Santana and Kurt walked along the halls of McKinley, during lunch hour in hopes of finding some of the New Directions alumni and the New Directions. As they walked along the hallway, Finn peered into one of the rooms, eyeing Mr. Schuester's old Spanish classroom. Finn leaned against the door, crossing his arms while a smile tugged on his lips. This was Finn's dream. One day, he wanted to be a teacher, and lead a Glee Club that was his and his alone to Nationals. That was what Finn wanted to do with his life. As Finn looked inside the classroom, Rachel, Santana and Kurt looked at him with interest. They knew that Finn was thinking of something.

"Finnocence, we're supposed to meet Mr. Schue in the choir room." Santana huffily reminded him. "Do you mind if I ask why you stopped in front of this classroom?"

"This is Mr. Schue's old Spanish Room. Now he's the History teacher." Finn shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe if the whole music teacher thing doesn't work out then, I want the job."

"Oh, Finn…really?" Kurt questioned. "You want to be a Spanish teacher? You barely know Spanish."

"Not a Spanish Teacher, I mean a History teacher." Finn corrected. "I mean, I think History is interesting…and the kids would need someone that's fun and that you would want to learn."

"That's a good way of looking at it." Rachel nodded her head, grabbing Finn's hand as they walked down the hallway. As they reached the choir room, Rachel felt Finn's hand tighten around hers, Rachel understanding what was wrong. "Finn, everything's going to be fine. Why are you nervous about seeing Mr. Schue?"

"Because, Rachel…he's what defines me." Finn admitted. "I sing and dance, poorly dance I might add, because of him. He's the person I want to aspire to be. He's such a great influence and I want him to be proud of me."

"Finn, Mr. Schuester is going to be _so_ proud of you. I'm so proud of you…your mom is so proud of you…" Rachel pressed a kiss to Finn's cheek as she looked into his eyes. "You're doing amazing in New York…you're making something of yourself and you seem so sure in life. Everything's going to be okay." Finn pressed a kiss to Rachel's lips, giving her a confident smile as they made their way to the room. Finn knocked on the door as Kurt and Santana crossed their arms, spotting Mr. Schuester as he came out of the classroom, staring at his former students.

"Finn, Rachel, Kurt, Santana." Mr. Schuester gave a grin as he went to hug all of his former students. Finn held on the longest to Mr. Schuester, looking at his former teacher. "Hey buddy, what brings you guys to Lima?"

"Sectionals brought us to Lima." Rachel grinned.

"My dad has chemotherapy." Kurt raised his hand, the mood turning somber.

"Way to kill the mood, Kurt." Santana mumbled, rolling her eyes away from Kurt. Mr. Schuester ignored Santana's comment, looking at Finn.

"So what's going on? How have you all been?" Mr. Schuester asked.

"We've all been great." Santana nodded her head, making her way towards the lockers. "I'm going to find the others. Come on Kurt." Kurt followed Santana down the hallway, leaving Finn and Rachel standing there with their former coach.

"Well, I see Santana hasn't changed a bit." Mr. Schuester let out a nervous chuckle. "She's not ever going to change, is she?"

"No, she is not." Finn shook his head, letting out a small laugh. Mr. Schuester guided Rachel and Finn into the choir room, Finn immediately seeing the red chairs that were in the corner. His eyes focused to the drum set, the same drum set that he would play when he was in class with the other Glee students. Finn sat down in his reserved seat in the Glee room, looking at Mr. Schuester who looked down at the piano.

"So, how have you been, guys?" Mr. Schuester smiled, grabbing a chair and sitting down in front of Finn and Rachel.

"We've been great." Finn shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, we've been well."

"Finn, do you mind if I ask…what happened to the army?" Mr. Schuester became concerned. "You were there and then…I never heard from you. Neither did your parents."

"I know and I'm sorry I worried everyone." Finn apologized. "It's just that I didn't want to look like a failure in front of you. I look up to you, Mr. Schue." Mr. Schuester looked touched by Finn's words while Rachel smiled at the both of them. "I didn't mean to worry anyone. But the good news is, I'm not lost anymore. I'm going to school in NYADA, I know what I want to be and I'm really content with my life right now."

"What school did you get into?" Mr. Schuester's smile returned, looking at Finn.

"I got into NYADA." Finn said, looking at Mr. Schuester with an embarrassed grin. "I didn't think that I would get into NYADA because I'm not all that special and junk but…I'm also leading the Glee Club they have there…kind of like how you're leading the Glee Club here." Mr. Schuester pulled Finn in for a man hug, Finn looking a bit shocked. He then smiled, patting Mr. Schuester on the back. Finn and Mr. Schuester looked at one another, Mr. Schuester releasing a proud smile.

"You're going to NYADA and running your own Glee Club." Mr. Schuester felt some tears come to his eyes, patting Finn's shoulder. "Finn…I am _so_ proud of you. You…wow." Mr. Schuester seemed very impressed with Finn, as Finn looked to Rachel. Rachel patted Finn's back, pressing a kiss to his cheek. Finn then remembered there was something else he wanted to disclose to his former teacher.

"Oh, there's one more thing I need to tell you." Finn said, still looking at Mr. Schue. Rachel nodded her head to Finn, Finn releasing a deep breath. "Rachel and I…are getting married." Mr. Schuester looked at both him and Rachel, feeling a smile tug on his lips.

"Congratulations, you two." Mr. Schuester said, putting a hand on both Rachel and Finn's shoulders. Finn was slightly muddled. There was no speech about how Finn was too young to marry his girlfriend even though he was almost 19 years old?

"No lecture? My mom and the other members of New Directions gave us one." Finn pointed out while Mr. Schuester shook his head.

"No, no lecture." Mr. Schuester smiled. "Look, if you and Rachel think that you're ready for this then I don't see any reason that you two can't get married. When is the wedding?"

"In two months…before Rachel's _Funny Girl_ audition." Finn explained. Mr. Schuester nodded his head, placing a hand on Finn's shoulder.

"Well, I hope that you both are very happy with one another." Mr. Schuester said. Finn looked to Mr. Schuester, nodding his head—but he and Rachel turned their heads to find a girl with light brown hair, standing by the door, holding a notebook close to her chest. "Hi Marley." Mr. Schuester waved as the young girl came in, staring over at Finn and Rachel. Mr. Schuester looked at Finn and Rachel, then back towards the girl. "Oh, Finn and Rachel. This is Marley Rose. She's a member of the Glee Club. Marley, this is Finn Hudson and Rachel Berry, the…"

"I know who they are." Marley's smile widened, looking at the both of them. "I've heard great things about the both of them. They led the Glee Club to a National Championship last year. I was just a freshman when you were performing and I went to the show in Chicago after I begged my mom to take me, and I was just blown away by your vocals Rachel, and I loved the way that Finn's dancing was just full of flaws yet it was adorkable."

"Aw, thank you." Rachel smiled at her as Finn raised an eyebrow.

"Adorkable?" Finn softly murmured, causing Rachel to laugh.

"Anyway, I just wanted to say that it was an honor to see you…" Marley held her books closer to her, looking to Mr. Schuester. "Are they going to help us with Sectionals, Mr. Schue?"

"Of course they are." Mr. Schuester said. "As a matter of fact, they are going to join us for Glee Club this afternoon, that is if they want to."

"Of course we would want to." Rachel nodded her head to Mr. Schuester.

"We would love to." Finn quickly agreed. "As a matter of fact…we want to surprise the Glee club with something…maybe a duet or something." Rachel was usually the one that suggested doing a duet with Finn to Mr. Schuester, so Mr. Schuester had to admit that he was a bit surprised Finn was the one to ask to do one.

"Well, I don't see the reason why not?" Mr. Schuester said. "I mean, it sounds like a great idea." Finn's smile widened as he gazed over at Rachel. Rachel and Marley eyed one another, giving each other grins while Finn and Mr. Schuester eyed one another. _It's good to be home, _Finn thought to himself.

* * *

"So are you going with your dad to his chemotherapy session?" Blaine asked as he and Kurt sat in the courtyard eating lunch. "I mean, you haven't really talked about it."

"I know I haven't talked about it." Kurt mumbled, looking down at his lunch. "It kind of upsets me. I mean, I want him to get better but I'm afraid of the after effects. There's a chance he could lose his appetite for things he likes, he'll be nauseous all the time, or the worst scenario, the chemotherapy won't work and he'll still have the cancer."

"Kurt…" Blaine put his hand in Kurt's staring into his eyes. "It's going to work. I have no doubt in my mind."

"I'm just scared, Blaine." Kurt admitted. "I mean, I never thought in a million years I could lose my father to cancer. I don't want to lose him. He's my rock, he's the one that helps me wake up in the morning and look at everything in a brand new light. He's my backbone."

"I know he's your backbone…" Blaine nodded his head. "But you're going to get through this. I promise. He's going to be fine and then he's going to be there when you graduate college and when you get married…he's going to see all those things, because he loves you very much and he's not going to stop fighting for you."

"I know he's not." Kurt smiled, gazing at Blaine. "How do you know all the right things to say?"

"I don't know actually…" Blaine shrugged his shoulders. "I'm afraid I'm going to say the wrong thing all the time.

"Well you didn't…" Kurt leaned closer to him, still holding Blaine's hand in his. "You actually helped. Blaine?"

"Yes, Kurt?" Blaine asked.

"I was wondering…would you mind going with me to my dad's chemotherapy session. I could use the support." Kurt wondered. Blaine nodded his head, pressing a kiss to Kurt's cheek.

"I would_ love_ to be there…" Blaine smiled, looking at his boyfriend. Kurt and Blaine gazed at one another once more, before leaning in for a passionate, longing kiss.

_{Scene changes to the Glee choir room with Finn playing the guitar and Rachel sitting in the seat next to him while the others sit in their seats and watch them}_

_[Finn]  
When life leaves you high and dry  
I'll be at your door tonight  
If you need help, if you need help_

_I'll shut down the city lights  
I'll lie, cheat, I'll beg and bribe  
To make you well, to make you well_

_When enemies are at your door  
I'll carry you away from more  
If you need help, if you need help_

_Your hope dangling by a string  
I'll share in your suffering  
To make you well, to make you well_

_Give me reasons to believe  
That you would do the same for me_

_And I would do it_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
For you, for you  
Baby, I'm not moving on  
I'll love you long after you're gone  
For you, for you  
You will never sleep alone  
I'll love you long after you're gone_

[Finn]  
And long after you're gone, gone, gone

_{Blaine gets up from his seat and pulls Kurt with him to the front as Rachel and Finn motion for them to come over. Blaine and Kurt stand in front of the choir room while Rachel, Kurt and Blaine smile at each other.}_

_[Blaine]  
When you fall like a statue  
I'm gonna be there to catch you  
Put you on your feet, you on your feet_

_And if your heart is empty  
Not a thing will prevent me  
Tell me what you need, what do you need_

_[Kurt and Blaine]  
I'll surrender honestly  
You've always done the same for me_

_So I would do it_

_[Kurt, Blaine, Rachel and Finn with New Directions and New Directions Alumni]  
For you, for you  
Baby, I'm not moving on  
I'll love you long after you're gone  
For you, for you  
You will never sleep alone  
I'll love you long after you're gone_

_And long after you're gone, gone, gone_

_{Finn stares into Rachel's eyes as he sings to her while playing the guitar and Rachel smiles at Finn while the other New Directions members look at them with smiles on their faces}_

_[Finn]  
You're my backbone  
You're my cornerstone  
You're my crutch when my legs stop moving_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
You're my head start  
You're my rugged heart  
You're the pokes that I'm always needing_

_[Finn, Rachel, Kurt and Blaine with New Directions and New Directions Alumni]  
Like a drum baby don't stop beating  
Like a drum baby don't' stop beating  
Like a drum baby don't stop beating  
Like a drum my heart never stops beating_

_For you, for you  
Baby, I'm not moving on  
I'll love you long after you're gone  
For you, for you  
You will never sleep alone  
I'll love you long after you go_

_For you, for you_

_[Finn]  
Baby, I'm not moving on  
I'll love you long after you're gone_

_[Finn, Rachel, Kurt and Blaine with New Directions and New Directions Alumni]  
For you, for you  
You will never sleep alone  
I'll love you long after you're gone_

_Like a drum baby don't stop beating  
Like a drum baby don't stop beating  
Like a drum baby don't stop beating  
Like a drum my heart never stops beating_

_[Finn]  
For you  
And long after you're gone, gone, gone_

_[Finn, Rachel, Blaine and Kurt]  
I'll love you long after you're gone, gone, gone_

Mr. Schuester got up from his seat, applauding Finn, Rachel, Blaine and Kurt as they looked to the Glee Club members. They were standing and clapping for their performance. It was very gratifying to say the least. Finn looked to Rachel as she grinned back at him, grabbing his hand.

"Okay, that was pretty awesome." Marley gushed while the others nodded their heads.

"Of course that was awesome." Tina Cohen-Chang chided, looking over at her old friends. "It was because of them that we won Nationals. They sang their asses off."

"And is it true that Finn got into NYADA?" Artie Abrams faced Finn, giving him a shocked looked.

"Yep, it's true." Finn nodded his head proudly. The New Directions members clapped loudly for Finn, Rachel rubbing Finn's back while Finn smiled at them.

"And we are very proud of Finn." Mr. Schuster nodded his head to the others. "Now, let's focus on Sectionals. Sectionals is important and it's the reason the New Directions Alumni are here."

"We're here to whip you suckers into shape." Puck exclaimed as the other members became excited.

"Yes Puck, that's what you guys are here for. Now, we're going to spend the next week trying to practice our dancing, we're going to sing like we've never sung before. Practice, practice, practice." Mr. Schuester snapped his fingers. Finn and Rachel went to sit in their seats with the other alumni, staring at the New Directions members. Finn couldn't believe that he was back in his old choir room—and he was going to teach the New Directions members a thing or two about show choir. "All right, let's get to work!" Mr. Schuester saw the kids getting up from their seats while Finn still stared at them. Finn knew it was time to get to work, so he grabbed his drumsticks and went to the drums while the members of New Directions were going to practice their song for Sectionals.

"All right…one, two…one, two, three, FOUR!"

* * *

After Glee practice ended, Finn walked along the streets of Lima to his parent's house on his own. Rachel had volunteered to go with Kurt to Burt's chemotherapy session and Santana went with the other New Directions alumni to the Lima Bean to get some coffee. Finn wanted to just go home, sit in front of the television and unwind. Sure, today had been a great day for him, but he needed some alone time so that he could think a bit. As Finn turned the corner to his mother's house, he noticed a man that was standing by the front door, knocking on it. Finn began to get defensive, wondering if he should charge the man or if he should call the police. Finn decided that he was going to walk up to the house, and then if the man was sketchy, he'd call the police. Finn walked over to the house, the man turning around to spot Finn. Finn stopped in his tracks, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Um, can I help you?" Finn asked, not caring that he sounded a bit rude. The man continued to study Finn, then walked over to him with a small smile on his face.

"Finn?" The man asked, staring into Finn's eyes. Finn began to feel frustrated. Why was this man just standing there, looking Finn in his eyes? He didn't look like someone Finn had seen before, but he did look familiar.

"Who are you? And what do you want from me?!" Finn started to back away, taking his cellphone out of his pocket. "I'm calling the police."

"Finn, wait…" The man said, but before anyone could say anything, Carole opened the door, recognizing the man that was there. She tensed up, something Finn noticed.

"What's going on here?" Finn asked, turning to the man, then to his mother. "Mom, are you cheating on Burt or something?! Because that is _not_ cool!"

"Finn, no one is cheating on no one." Carole told her son. The man looked at Finn with saddened eyes, unbelieving that Finn didn't recognize him.

"Finn, you really don't recognize me?' The man sadly asked. Finn shook his head, looking back to his mother.

"Mom? Who is this?" Finn became firm again, staring at her. Carole stammered a moment, noticing the man was losing patience with Carole trying to dance around the truth.

"Carole…you didn't tell our son the truth, did you?" The man sounded hurt. Finn's eyes widened, looking over to the man then back to his mother. What did the man just say?

"I'm sorry, I think I need to clean my ears out…did you just say that…you're my…" Finn pointed, seeing the man was nodding sadly. "C…Christopher? Christopher Hudson? That's not possible."

"Why is it not possible?" Christopher sighed, looking at Finn.

"You're…you're _dead_." Finn continued to look at him. "Mom said you died of a drug overdose! You're not Christopher and you're dead."

"Finn…" Carole placed a hand on Finn's shoulder but Finn shrugged it off.

"You knew he was alive all these years? YOU KNEW!" Finn screamed at his mother, feeling tears come to his eyes. "You told me that he was dead! You said he was killed in the Gulf War and then you said that he died of an overdose! You told me my father died! Why did you do it?! WHY?!"

"Finn, things were complicated back then…" Carole tried to explain.

"What is so complicated by telling your son that his father is still alive?!" Finn yelled. "You said that dad died…he doesn't look dead to me!"

"Finnegan…" Christopher walked closer to Finn but Finn turned around, absolutely fuming.

"DON'T call me Finnegan!" Finn clutched his fist into a ball. "Why did you leave?! All this time, for the last eighteen years, I've been wondering who my father was! At first I thought you was some sort of hero, you died in the line of duty…then I was told you did drugs…and now I'm being told that you're alive and here! Where were you all this time?! For eighteen freaking years of my life you've ran away! WHERE WERE YOU!?"

"Finn, things were very complicated between your mother and me." Christopher said. "I did take drugs and she kicked me out of the house for them. My issues were no good for a baby…"

"So where were you for the last eighteen years? That doesn't answer my question." Finn's face was stone cold, staring at both his parents.

"He…" Carole started to say, but Christopher let out a sigh.

"I was in jail." Christopher answered. "It was a drug smuggling ring gone wrong and I ended up in jail, Finn. I recently got out and your mother and I were planning on how to tell you that I was still alive."

"Wait, so you're a criminal." Finn's face expression didn't change. "So you were in jail for the last eighteen years, and I've been busting my ass to support my family…but yet…Mom thought it would be a good idea to lie to me?"

"Finn, I was trying to protect you…" Carole stated.

"I DON'T NEED ANYONE'S PROTECTION!" Finn raged, looking at the both of them. "I'm going to be nineteen years old! I think if you had told me that dad was in jail, I would have understood!" Finn thought for a moment, heading into the house while Carole went after him. Finn went to the urn that was on the mantle, grabbing it and opening it up.

"Finn!" Carole tried to object, but when he opened the urn…there weren't ashes there…it was sugar in an urn. Finn's face twisted into sadness, the tears streaming down his face as he looked back to his mother.

"You really tried to sell one gigantic lie, didn't you?" Finn growled. "You had me thinking my dad's ashes were in here! You had me thinking that he was dead and he was still apart of us! Instead you tell me that he's dead and you went the whole nine yards to keep it a secret! You filled an urn with sugar! I bet you that reclining chair that's there wasn't really his! You...you…_liar_!"

"Finn." Carole said, looking at her son. "Don't call me a liar."

"Well that's what you are!" Finn's tears streamed down his face, holding the urn full of sugar in is hand. "You lied to me all these years and you expect me to just forgive you like that! You lied to me—how do you want me to feel when I just met my father for the first time in my life after being told that he was here in this urn. Instead…there's nothing of sentimental value in here…you…you really thought I was dumb and I wasn't going to figure it out!"

"Finn, I never thought you were dumb." Carole walked closer to him but Finn backed away. "Finn…I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?!" Finn pointed at her. "I'm sorry I'm stuck with a family of liars! What else have you been keeping from me, mom? Is my real name Finn? Am I really eighteen years old? Were you the one that paid for my drum lessons? Let's tell the truth now! It's truth hour!"

"Finn, you're being ridiculous!" Carole screamed.

"I'm being ridiculous?! I'm being ridiculous?!" Finn countered. "I just spent my whole life being lied to! Try that!" Finn slammed down the urn on the floor, causing it to break into a million pieces along with the sugar that was inside it.

"Finn!" Carole saw Finn heading towards the door of the house, exiting and walking down the street. "Finnegan Hudson, get over here now!"

"You can't tell me what to do anymore!" Finn yelled back, the tears causing Finn to choke up. Finn turned around to face both his parents, shaking his head in disappointment. "I thought that you loved me enough to tell me the truth, mom…but I guess not. So after Sectionals, I'm done here…I'm going back to New York…and I'm _never_ coming back to Lima. Rachel and I can get married somewhere else. I'm done with you guys." Finn turned around, walking away from his mother, sobbing as he headed towards McKinley. Was everything that his mother told him a lie? Was there more that Finn didn't know? Finn entered McKinley, tears still streaming down his face as he walked into the auditorium, seeing that it was empty. He needed a place to just think for a minute—or in his case, possibly scream. Finn went to the front of the auditorium, wiping his tears and hearing the music play behind him. Finn had to let out all of his emotions. Keeping them bottled up would have been terrible for him.

_{Finn looks around the auditorium and shakes his head, staring out while tears go down his face}_

_[Finn]  
I fall asleep by the telephone  
It's 2:00a.m. and I'm waiting up alone  
Tell me where have you been  
I found a note with another name  
You blow a kiss but it just don't feel the same  
Cause I can feel that you're gone_

_Can't bite my tongue forever  
While you try to play it cool  
You can hide behind your stories  
But don't take me for a fool_

_You can tell me that there's nobody else (But I feel it)  
You can tell me that you're home by yourself (but I see it)  
You can look into my eyes and pretend all you want  
But I know, I know your love is just a lie  
It's nothing but a lie_

_{Finn sits on the auditorium seats, looking at pictures with him, his mother and father with Finn as a baby, showing great disdain as he flips through them. Finn starts ripping up the pictures one by one}_

_You look so innocent  
But the guilt in your voice gives you away  
Yeah, you know what I mean  
How does it feel when you kiss  
When you know that I trust you  
Do you think about me when he touches you  
Could you be more obscene_

_So don't try to say your sorry  
Or try to make it right  
And don't waste your breath  
Because it's too late, it's too late_

_{Finn walks along the hallways of McKinley and he ultimately leans against the wall near the choir room with tears streaming down his face}_

_You can tell me that there's nobody else (But I feel it)  
You can tell me that you're home by yourself (but I see it)  
You can look into my eyes and pretend all you want  
But I know, I know your love is just a lie  
It's nothing but a lie_

_You're nothing but a lie!_

_{Finn walks on the stage and throws the chair across the stage in anger and then takes the mike stand and throws it as well, as he looks on in obvious anger}_

_You can tell me that there's nobody else (But I feel it)  
You can tell me that you're home by yourself (but I see it)  
You can look into my eyes and pretend all you want  
But I know, I know your love is just a lie  
You're nothing but a lie  
You're nothing but a lie  
Your love is just a lie_

"Finn…" Finn heard someone calling out for him after he finished singing; turning his head and spotting Rachel, walking down the aisle of the auditorium. She got on the stage, walking over to him with a hint of sadness in her eyes. "Finn, I went to the house and you weren't there…the urn that was your dad's was shattered into pieces and…what's going on?" Finn couldn't say any words. In a moment, he got on his knees on the stage, and started bawling like a baby. Rachel ran over to him, pulling him into a hug, comforting him as he cried into her. Rachel didn't ask any more questions. She simply held Finn on that auditorium stage as he led out his emotions, neither of them moving from their position.

* * *

_**GUEST STARRING**_

_**Dianna Agron as Quinn Fabray**_

_**Mark Salling as Noah "Puck" Puckerman**_

_**Amber Riley as Mercedes Jones**_

_**Harry Shum Jr. as Mike Chang**_

_**Darren Criss as Blaine Anderson**_

_**Matthew Morrison as Will Schuester**_

_**Melissa Benoist as Marley Rose**_

_**Jenna Ushkowitz as Tina Cohen-Chang**_

_**Kevin McHale as Artie Abrams**_

_**Remy Rosemont as Carole Hudson**_

_**Mike O'Malley as Burt Hummel**_

_**Sebastian Cuk as Christopher Hudson**_

_**SONG(S):**_

_**Homeward Bound / Home (Originally by Simon & Garfunkel / Phillip Phillips): Performed by New Directions Alumni**_

_**Gone, Gone, Gone (Originally by Philip Phillips): Performed by Finn Hudson, Rachel Berry, Blaine Anderson and Kurt Hummel with New Directions and New Directions Alumni**_

_**Your Love Is A Lie (Originally by Simple Plan): Performed by Finn Hudson**_


	12. 1x12: Demons

_**Episode Synopsis: **Finn deals with the destructive aftermath of finding out his father (**Sebastian Cuk**) is alive, although he refuses to forgive his mother for lying to him. Santana attempts to apologize to Brittany (**Heather Morris**) about abandoning her for Dani but Brittany rebuff's Santana's apology, putting their friendship in jeopardy._

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I do not own Glee, but I wish I did. Enjoy the episode, everyone. Remember...reviews are love. :) 3_

* * *

Rachel was in the kitchen of her dads house, pouring some tea into two cups. She looked back towards the living room, spotting Finn sitting on the couch in almost a blank state. He didn't want to talk about what was bothering him at the school, but Rachel knew that it had to be something very troubling. She had never seen Finn like this before, so she knew she had to get it out of him. Rachel took the cups of tea to the living room, handing one to Finn as she sat in the chair in front of him. She saw Finn looking down at the cup, not saying a word. He didn't even look at Rachel. After what seemed to be some time, Finn took a sip of his tea, scrunching his face in disgust. He looked up at Rachel, seeing that she gave him a small smile.

"What's wrong? You don't like tea?" Rachel softly asked with the smile on her face. "I thought you would have liked it?"

"Well…no." Finn shook his head, still looking at the tea. "Do you have hot chocolate instead?" Rachel ran a hand through Finn's hair, putting her cup down to take his. Rachel went to the kitchen, hearing Finn's footsteps follow after her. Rachel put a new cup with milk inside the microwave in order to heat it up for the chocolate packets. As she stood there looking at the microwave, she heard Finn's throat clear slightly. She turned to Finn, leaning against the counter as she motioned for him to come closer. Finn walked over to her, pulling her in for a tight hug. He closed his eyes, wanting to forget about the terrible truth that he learned today. The problem was, there was no forgetting about the truth…

"Finn?" Finn looked into Rachel's eyes, noticing the worry in her eyes. "What's the matter, baby? You can tell me anything, you know that right?"

"I know…" Finn muttered, looking down at Rachel's hands. "I've…I've never been so angry in my entire life."

"Did I do something? Was it the whole, I didn't have sex with you this morning because of Burt?" Rachel questioned, with Finn giving a small smirk.

"No, it had nothing to do with that." Finn said. His smirk disappeared from his face as he continued to look into Rachel's eyes. "It has to do with more or less the fact that I found something out…something that kind of shocked me…"

"Like what?" Rachel wondered. Finn took a deep breath, holding Rachel's hands as he tried to speak.

"I found out my dad was alive today…" Finn's voice cracked as Rachel's eyes widened. "He's alive…and…he's spent the last eighteen years in jail, Rachel…he was in jail and my mom had the nerve to lie to me and tell me that he was dead. She even filled the urn with powdered sugar in order to fool me."

"Oh my god…" Rachel covered her mouth with her hand, staring into Finn's eyes. "Finn, are you okay?"

"Do I look like I'm okay?" Finn snapped, realizing his tone and gave Rachel an apologetic glare. "I'm sorry, Rachel…I didn't mean to snap at you…I just…I'm so confused."

"Finn…" Rachel wrapped her arms around him, holding him, as he felt disordered. "I'm so sorry, baby…"

"It's not your fault…" Finn muttered, placing his chin on the top of Rachel's head. "I'm just so confused, Rachel. What should I do? I mean, I was so mad that I walked away from my mother. I didn't mean to do it but she lied to me and I was just so mad and…ugh! It's all falling apart."

"Finn, it's okay…" Rachel assured him, slowly making him look into her eyes as she put a hand to his cheek. "You're a bit confused right now and it's okay…I do think you need to make amends with your mother though."

"Rachel, she held a secret from me for eighteen years." Finn's voice sounded gruff. "I don't think that's something you can forgive someone for, even if it's your mother."

"I know…I know…"Rachel softly said, calming him down. "Look, it's getting a little late. Why don't you stay here tonight just so you can clear your head?"

"Your dads won't mind if I'm here?" Finn asked. Rachel nuzzled her nose with his, smiling up at him.

"Of course not, besides I think they're aware that I'm not a little girl anymore." Rachel pressed her lips to Finn's, giving him a kiss so passionate that he'd forget his troubles. Rachel and Finn heard the doorbell ring, Rachel parting her lips from Finn's. "I should probably get that."

"Really?" Finn let out a smile, trying to kiss Rachel again. "I think we could just stay here in the kitchen…"

"I have to get the door." Rachel chuckled, getting out of Finn's grasp while looking at the microwave. "The milk should be warm enough. The chocolate mix packets are in the cabinet." Rachel headed to the door, opening it and spotting a man that she had never seen before. Rachel crossed her arms, staring at the man while Finn looked from the kitchen to see the man. "Hello sir, can I help you with something?" Rachel asked, Finn gripping his cup close to his hand.

"Hi there, are you Ms. Rachel Berry?" The man questioned, staring at Rachel.

"Yes, yes I am." Rachel crossed her arms, still looking at the man. "May I ask who you are and what you are doing here?"

"I just wanted to ask you about Finn…" The man stuffed his hands in his pockets, staring at her. "I just want to talk about him for a minute."

"You want to talk about Finn?" Rachel crossed her arms, shaking her head. "Can I just ask who you are, because I'm not giving any information about my fiancé without him acknowledging that he knows you."

"Listen to me…" The man started to take one-step forward, but was stopped when Finn came to the door and glared at the man. "Finn…" The man continued to look at Finn, Finn shaking his head.

"Did my mother send you to find me?" Finn growled, still clutching the cup. "I want you to leave."

"Finn…" The man started to say, but Finn cut him off.

"Look…you may be my _father_…but you are _not_ my dad." Finn squinted his eyes, looking absolutely disgusted.

"Wait, this is your father?" Rachel pointed to Christopher, shaking her head. "I thought he was dead."

"It's a small world when you think your father is dead, isn't it?" Finn crossed his arms, still looking at Christopher. "Let me make myself perfectly clear, I am not interested in talking to you and I have no interest in speaking to my mother, so if you would please leave me alone. Oh…and one more thing." Finn grabbed Christopher by the collar, staring his "father" into his eyes. "You _ever_ get in contact with my fiancée, you ever put a _hand_ on her, I will come after you and I will make you _wish_ you were dead. Do you understand me?" Finn let go of Christopher, seeing that his father was looking into his eyes with sadness.

"Finn, I'm sorry that it has to be this way…" Christopher solemnly said. Finn slammed the door in Christopher's face, walking away from Rachel as he made his way to the kitchen. On the way to the counter, Finn slipped, dropping the cup on the floor. The cup didn't break, but the milk came out of the cup, spilling all over the floor. Finn's face twisted to rage, letting out a loud scream while Rachel stared at him.

"_SON OF A BITCH!_" Finn roared, slamming his hand on the table. Finn quickly held onto his wrist, feeling the tears stream down his cheek as he started to sob. Rachel walked over to Finn, wrapping her arms around his waist as she held onto him tightly. Finn continued to stand there and cry, not sure if there was anything to say. Finn was messed up in many ways. His mother had lied to him, his father was a convict that was involved with a drug smuggling ring and Finn was stuck in the middle of it. It seemed that there wasn't a bright side to any of this. Rachel continued to hold onto Finn, looking up at him and wiping his tears slowly. Finn turned towards her, trying to catch his breath, but he still was sobbing. "Ra…RACHEL!" Finn cried out as he held her tightly, still crying into her.

"It's okay, everything's going to be okay…" Rachel soothingly said into his ear, rubbing his back. "Hey, why don't you go to my room and go take a nap? Sometimes a nap helps in these situations. I'll clean up here and bring you a fresh cup of hot chocolate, okay?" Finn held onto Rachel tighter, nodding his head slowly. "Everything's going to be okay, baby…I'll be up there and talk to you." Finn reluctantly let go of Rachel, walking over to the stairs and trudging up to go to the bedroom. Rachel grabbed the cup that fell on the floor, her mind whirring. Something deeper was bothering Finn…it couldn't have been just the fact that his father came out of nowhere and his mother lied. Rachel just had to find a way to get Finn to say what it was.

* * *

A half-hour later, Rachel knocked on the door of her bedroom with two cups of hot chocolate. She realized it couldn't hurt to have a cup of hot chocolate with her fiancée. Rachel knocked on the door slowly, opening it and spotting Finn lying on Rachel's childhood bed, holding one of her stuffed pillow pets close to him. If it was under different circumstances, Rachel would have thought that Finn looked cute, but she knew that Finn was hurting. Finn was upset, he was betrayed, he was emotionally and physically drained. Rachel entered the room with the hot chocolate, placing both of them on the brown bureau. Rachel sat down next to him, rubbing his back slowly while gazing at him. She couldn't help but feel terrible for him.

"Poor baby…" Rachel continued to rub Finn's back while Finn cradled the pillow. Rachel knew there was something Finn wanted to get off his chest—he had never been so terrified his entire life.

"Rachel…I'm scared." Finn looked to her, feeling vulnerable. Rachel without words instructed Finn to move over on the bed, her lying down next to him while staring in his eyes.

"Why are you scared?" Rachel wondered, still looking at him.

"It's just…" Finn sighed, looking away for a minute. "I don't want to end up like my father." Rachel didn't understand why Finn thought he was going to end up like Christopher. They were as different as different could be. "I mean, when we were in school I used to think that I could make him proud of me, that I could do anything to avenge his death. The problem is…I don't want to even be associated with him. What if I end up to be a good for nothing ass? What if I can't properly take care of you and what if we have a child and the child resents me, just like I resent my father right now." Rachel considered Finn's words, wrapping an arm around him.

"Finn, you're not going to end up like your father." Rachel assured him. "You are a better man."

"Oh really?" Finn scoffed. "How am I a better man? I messed up so many times, I've lost count. I don't know why you still want to be with me. I tried the army and I shot myself, I forced you to go to New York by yourself and that's something I never should have done, and to top it all off, the only reason I wanted to go to NYADA was because I was trying to keep Brody away from you. Up until this point, I _still_ have no idea where I'm going! I'm a loser, Rachel. Just like my father." Finn felt the tears come to his eyes again, until Rachel shook her head.

"Finn Hudson, you are _not_ a loser." Rachel scolded softly. "You are the most incredible man I have ever laid my eyes on. Look, the things you listed, you did all of those things out of _love_. You joined the army because you loved your dad at the time and you wanted to make him proud. You let me go to New York because you loved me and you wanted to see me succeed. And you being at NYADA…you loved me enough to actually attempt to get into a school—and you did. You got into one of the hardest schools to get into, all because you were driven in trying to get me to see that I belonged with you. Along the way, Finn…I think you also did NYADA because you love yourself. I don't know if you notice, but I have never seen you so happy from the years that I've known you. You look like you found your niche. Tell me, Finn…when was the last time that you wanted something and you cared this much?" Finn thought about Rachel's words, still staring into her eyes. "Finn, you are selfless, you're caring, your spirit shines through anything and everything I've ever seen and you have the most _beautiful_ heart. Yes, you sometimes do things that are crazy and stupid, we all do…but you have the heart to _always_ make things right, and you are so special. When I tell you, I'm proud of you…I _mean_ it Finn. I don't just count the things you've recently done, I count every beautiful and riveting thing you've done. Although I may idolize Barbra Streisand or Patti LuPone, I can't call them my hero."

"What?" Finn continued to look at Rachel, shaking his head. "Why not?"

"I can't call them my hero…" Rachel took Finn's hands in hers, looking him in his eyes. "Because _you_ are my hero, Finn. I strive every day to be just as selfless and caring as you. So you're wrong…you are _nothing_ like your father and you are not a loser. You're an incredible soul that has just barely scratched the surface, not seeing his full potential as of yet. You are going to do amazing things in your life, Finn…and I want to be there every step of the way. Because now I know, that there is no one out there for me…except you. I love you, Finn…and I'm never going to get tired of saying that because its' what I truly feel in my heart. You're my rock…we're Finchel…we're endgame." Finn let out a small smile to Rachel, tears falling down the side of his face as he listened to her speak. The tears Finn were shedding were no longer sad or frustrated tears, they were tears of joy that he actually meant that much to Rachel. Rachel leaned down and pressed a kiss to Finn's lips, holding him as tightly as she possibly could. Finn pulled Rachel down with her onto the bed, their lips still connected as Rachel ran a hand through his hair, gripping it as the kiss turned more passionate and sensual. Finn parted his lips from Rachel after a moment, looking into her eyes as she sat in his lap.

"I love you, Rachel…" Finn softly said, still looking at her. "I really…really love you. Thank you." Rachel kissed Finn once more, then engulfed him into a gigantic hug. Finn gripped tightly onto Rachel, breathing in her scent. Rachel looked into Finn's eyes, giving him another passionate kiss as her hands went down to his shirt, unbuttoning each button. Finn and Rachel both knew where exactly where this was going, and of course—Finn couldn't object.

* * *

The next morning, the New Directions Alumni sat in the auditorium, watching New Directions rehearse their number for Sectionals. Rachel had figured watching New Direction would have been a good distraction for Finn, not wanting him to be upset after last night's debacle with his parents. Finn concentrated on the stage, realizing that some of the New Directions members weren't on point with their dancing. Of course, Finn wasn't allowed to be one to talk about dancing, but he noticed some of them were lagging a few bars behind everyone else. As soon as the musical number ended, Mr. Schuester clapped but Finn and Mike looked to one another shaking their heads.

"All right guys, that was great…" Mr. Schuester said, looking at them.

"It was great and all." Finn got up from his chair, staring over at them. "But I don't think it's good enough."

"What? Huh? What's he talking about?" The New Directions members started mumbling. Rachel, Santana and Kurt eyed Finn, wondering what he was doing.

"Finn, what are you doing?" Kurt harshly whispered.

"I mean, don't get me wrong Mr. Schue. The song is good, and their vocals are excellent…but dancing is the problem." Finn looked to the members. "I mean, some of you weren't even doing the same dance steps as the others. You need to tighten it up because the judges will eat you alive for breakfast at Sectionals."

"And what makes you think you know what you're talking about?" Kitty Wilde crossed her arms, staring at Finn with a smirk. "I was sure that when you were here, the kids couldn't stop talking about what a terrible dancer you were. How you even won Sectionals, Regionals and Nationals is beyond me when a Green Giant like yourself dances like he has two left feet."

"All right, I've gotten better." Finn grumbled towards Kitty. "I go to a performing arts school. I was able to dance well enough to get in the school. I'm still working on it, but I've gotten better than I did last year."

"Really?" Kitty scoffed. "Then how about you come up here and you prove it? I think we'd all like to see your 'amazing dance moves'."

"Finn, you're going to embarrass yourself up there…in front of Kitty." Puck whispered to his best friend.

"No I'm not…" Finn got up, bringing Mike with him. "Because Mike is going to help me. Rachel, do you wanna help?" Rachel didn't hesitate with her answer. She got up from her seat, grabbing Finn's hand with a nod. "And…Brittany, would you mind helping."

"Of course not. Do you think you can keep up?" Brittany asked, giving Finn a smile. Finn nodded his head, walking over to Brittany.

"I think I can." Finn smiled.

"Please, he thinks he can show us how to win a show choir? I don't think so." Kitty stared over at Marley and Jake Puckerman as they continued to look back at her.

"All right, let's show you how we do it…Alumni style." Finn pointed to Brad, who gathered the band together as they stared playing. Everyone had to admit—Finn _did_ get better at dancing. It was drastic from two years ago. Finn still wouldn't be a professional dancer, but he did get a lot better and looked like he never struggled before in his life.

_{Scene shows Finn, Mike, Rachel and Brittany dancing on the stage while the other New Directions members watch them. Kitty rolls her eyes while the other members look intrigued}_

_[Finn]  
Yeah I, I got to know your name  
Well I, could trace your private number baby  
All I know is that to me  
You look like you're lots of fun  
Open up your loving arms  
I want some  
I want some_

_Well I, set my sights on you (Rachel and Brittany: And no one else will do)  
And I, I've got to have my way now baby_

_[Mike]  
All I know is that to me  
You look like you're hard to find  
Open up your loving arms_

_[Mike and Finn]  
Watch out, here I come_

_[Finn, Mike, Rachel and Brittany]  
You spin me right round, baby right round  
Like a record baby, right round, round, round  
You spin me right round, baby right round  
Like a record baby, right round, round, round_

_[Brittany]  
I, I got to be your friend now baby_

_[Rachel]  
And I, would like to move in just a little bit closer_

_[Brittany]  
All I know is that to me  
You look like you're lots of fun  
Open up your loving arms_

_[Brittany and Rachel]  
Watch out, here I come_

_[Finn, Mike, Rachel and Brittany]  
You spin me right round, baby right round  
Like a record baby, right round, round, round  
You spin me right round, baby right round  
Like a record baby, right round, round, round_

_[Rachel]  
I want your love_

_[Rachel with Finn]  
I want your love_

_[Mike]  
All I know is that to me  
You look like you're lots of fun  
Open up your loving arms_

_[Mike and Finn]  
Watch out here I come_

_{New Direction gets on the stage and starts dancing with Finn, Rachel, Mike and Brittany, excluding Kitty who stares at Finn}_

_[Finn, Mike, Rachel and Brittany]  
You spin me right round, baby right round  
Like a record baby, right round, round, round  
You spin me right round, baby right round  
Like a record baby, right round, round, round_

_[Finn, Mike, Rachel and Brittany with New Directions]  
You spin me right round, baby right round  
Like a record baby, right round, round, round (Rachel: I want your love)  
You spin me right round, baby right round  
Like a record baby, right round, round, round (Rachel: I want your love)_

_You spin me right round, baby right round  
Like a record baby, right round, round, round (Rachel: I want your love)  
You spin me right round, baby right round  
Like a record baby, right round, round, round (Rachel: I want your love)_

_[Finn, Mike, Rachel and Brittany]  
You spin me right round, baby right round!_

The New Directions applauded Finn on the stage as Rachel engulfed him in a hug, Finn's smile turning huge. Finn turned to Kitty, seeing she was busy looking down at her nails to even stare back at Finn. Finn shook his head, looking to the other members of New Directions.

"Finn, that was great." Mr. Schuester clapped his hands.

"Do you think you can help us with our dancing before Sectionals? We need to have it down packed if we're going to beat the Warblers." Marley asked. Finn pretended to think over Marley's question, nodding his head as he stared at his friends.

"I think we can help with that, right guys?" Finn questioned.

"I think we can." Santana shrugged her shoulders while Puck, Mercedes and Quinn agreed. Finn looked over to the New Directions members and felt a smile appear on his face.

"All right, let's get started since we don't have much time." Finn put them all in position, having Mike teach them the dance steps again while Finn walked around the room to put everyone on point. Finn felt like he was someone special. He felt like he was a teacher, something he aspired to be ever since he sat in Mr. Schuester's Glee Club, learning every bit of knowledge Mr. Schuester possessed.

* * *

After Glee Club practice, Santana exited the auditorium, going to the courtyard, her eyes falling on Brittany as Brittany spoke to Marley, Kitty and Tina. Santana leaned against the wall of the hallway, still gazing at Brittany, seeing how happy she was. Well, Santana could be happy too. Santana was with Dani who was a painter, she was a singer, she played guitar and she was cute. Brittany was a dancer, somewhat of a singer—but Brittany was a genius. She was pure gold. She was—a visionary. Santana noticed Brittany staring over at her, giving a meek wave before turning back to Marley. Santana still knew that Brittany was probably pissed off with her for choosing Dani over her. Santana had to make things right. Santana walked to Brittany, Marley and Kitty, staring Brittany into her eyes.

"Brittany, do you mind if we talk for a minute?" Santana asked, leaning against one of the lockers.

"I'm a little busy." Brittany said, sounding a bit upset. Santana grabbed Brittany's hand, leading her to the choir room, ignoring the fact that Marley and Kitty were standing there. Santana pulled Brittany into the room, closing the door behind her as Brittany took a seat.

"Brittany, when you went to visit New York, you left without saying anything and I want to know why. Why did you leave?" Santana crossed her arms. "I found a note and you wrote the note in crayon and I wasn't quite sure what it said but I knew that it was a breakup note. I want to know why you did this Brittany? Why?"

"Why _I_ did what I did?" Brittany pointed to herself, shaking her head. "Why don't you ask yourself why _you_ did what you did. You were the one that left me, you left me for someone else. When I went to New York, you ignored me in order to spend time with Dani. You want me to just sit there while you flirt with someone else?"

"Brittany? I was not flirting!" Santana scoffed.

"Oh really? So why when we were singing, you pushed me aside for nothing." Brittany wiped a few tears from her face, looking away from Santana. "If you really cared about me at all, you wouldn't have ditched me for Dani."

"Brittany, I love you okay?" Santana looked at her, seeing Brittany was full of hurt. "And if I did anything in anyway to make you feel like you weren't important then I am sorry. I really, really am sorry." Brittany crossed her arms, ignoring Santana's words. Santana had to find a way to get to Brittany—and what better way than with music. In a moment, Brad the pianist walked over and sat down in front of the piano, playing a few cords while Santana stared into Brittany's eyes. "If you're not going to believe me in words, then maybe you'll believe me in song." Santana sat in the seat in front of Brittany and with tears in her eyes,…she started to sing.

_{Santana grabs Brittany's hand as she starts to sing, looking into her eyes}_

_[Santana]  
Broken hearts and last goodbyes  
Restless nights and lullabies  
Helps to make this pain go away  
I realize I let you down  
Told you that I'd be around  
Building up the strength just to say_

_I'm sorry  
For breaking all the promises  
I wasn't around to keep  
It's all me  
This time is the last time  
I will ever beg you to stay  
But you're already on your way_

_Filled with sorrow, filled with pain  
Knowing that I am to blame  
For leaving your heart out in the rain  
And I know you're gonna walk away  
Leave me with the price to pay  
Before you go I wanted to say, yeah_

_That I'm sorry  
For breaking all the promises  
I wasn't around to keep  
It's all me  
This time is the last time  
I will ever beg you to stay  
But you're already on your way_

_I can't make it alive on my own  
But if you have to go then please go,  
Just leave me alone  
But I don't wanna see you and me, go our separate ways  
I'm begging you to stay  
If it isn't too late_

_I'm sorry  
For breaking all the promises  
I wasn't around to keep  
It's all me  
This time is the last time  
I will ever beg you to stay  
But you're already on your way_

_But you're already on your way_

Brittany stared at Santana, not saying a word while Santana had tears going down her cheeks as well. Brittany didn't say anything, instead she got up from her seat and walked past Santana, getting out of the choir room and closing the door behind her. That was when it hit her; she messed up, she messed up big time. Santana turned around towards the choir room door. She had done the unthinkable—she lost Brittany, possibly forever.

* * *

Finn sat on the McKinley stage by himself as the other members of New Directions went home to prepare for their Sectionals in the morning. Finn had insisted that Rachel and Kurt had gone with Blaine and Mercedes to Rachel's house to have some time to themselves. Finn really need some time alone. Finn sat on the stage, staring out, thinking that the stage was where he was the happiest and the most content. He didn't want to think about what would happen if he had never joined Glee Club. Finn heard someone's footsteps come through the door, Finn looking up to see none other than Burt, walking down the aisle. Finn raised an eyebrow, realizing that maybe Burt was sent over to the auditorium by Carole and Christopher. Finn looked away from his stepfather, getting up from the stage and started to walk around a bit.

"I see you're not really in the mood to talk, right now." Burt chuckled, sitting on the stage. "You know, I was in this situation once—I was here…but instead I was talking to Kurt because he thought I was going to die from the cancer."

"How was the chemotherapy?" Finn asked, desperately wanting to keep the subject off him. Burt gave him a serious look, patting the auditorium stage so Finn could sit down. Finn walked over to the stage, plopping himself down while staring at Burt.

"It was fine…" Burt said softly. "It's just the after effects really, really suck. I mean, I thought I was going to throw up this morning, and then I couldn't even drink an ice cold beer. Apparently you're not allowed to have alcohol while on chemo."

"That kind of sucks." Finn shrugged his shoulders, not knowing what to say.

"I know, it does suck." Burt agreed. "But unfortunately, there's no way around it. This is something that I have to go through…you know…"

"But why?" Finn asked, becoming antsy. "I mean, you're such a great person, why do bad things have to happen to good people?"

"I don't know, Finn." Burt put a hand on Finn's shoulder, still staring into his stepson's eyes. "I don't know why bad things happen to good people. I just want you to know that I think you're a great person as well. Maybe that's why things haven't been going your way as of late. I mean, I heard from Carole that you found out your father was alive—and that he came to the house. You also found out that the urn had powder sugar inside instead of ashes…I saw the broken urn on the floor when I came home from my session. Carole and I talked…we talked about how she thought she was doing everything right by protecting you…but in the end, it turned out that it was the biggest mistake she's ever made. She didn't think you were going to storm out of the house and that you were just going to leave. Finn, your mom loves you…and she misses you."

"Well, she also lied to me so she'll have to deal with the consequences of her actions." Finn huffed, looking away from Burt. "She wanted to lie to me and make it seem like it was okay to lie. Last time I checked, it wasn't…"

"All right, I get it." Burt nodded his head. "You never really knew your dad and you're upset your mother kept you from him. But Finn, you have to realize that he's not exactly what's best for you…I hope you see that."

"But what if there was a way that I could have helped him!" Finn exclaimed, becoming exasperated. "I was thinking maybe he wouldn't have done those dumb things if I had done something."

"There you go again, putting the world on your shoulders." Burt chuckled, staring at Finn. "You always seem to be hard on yourself. I don't understand why though, Finn. There's only so much you could do. If your father really loved you, he wouldn't have done what he did when you were a baby. I just want you to know that your mother had her reasons in keeping secrets from you…I just want you to forgive her so she can stop worrying." Finn looked at Burt with a soft expression, but his face turned firm as he shook his head in anger.

"No, no I am not going to forgive her for what she did." Finn got up from the stage, starting to walk backstage to where the other door to the hallway was. "I really am not going to forgive her. She lied to me all this time, for the last eighteen years. Does she really expect me to think things are going to go back to the way they were before? They're not. She betrayed my trust and I'm not really in the mood to have those type of people in my life. If she sent you here, then you might want to go and tell her that I was serious when I said I was never going to talk to her again. I also don't want my dad anywhere near Rachel. So you could just tell the both of them that…all right?" Finn walked backstage, leaving the auditorium as Burt let out a sigh. Getting Finn to forgive Carole was going to be harder than Burt had imagined…

* * *

Rachel walked towards her bedroom that night with her robe on, bringing two cups of hot chocolate to the room, one for her and Finn. Her dads weren't supposed to be home until the day after Rachel was supposed to fly back to New York, which gave Rachel a chance to spend a legit couple of days in a house alone with Finn. She was going to get married to him, it was good practice. Rachel knocked on the bedroom door, opening it to see Finn sitting on Rachel's bed, holding the remote as he watched a football game on television. Rachel knew that Finn was just trying to distract himself from the drama with his parents by watching television. Finn didn't care for watching two last place teams playing a meaningless game. Finn was a competitor; he was all about the action.

"Hey, I brought you some hot chocolate." Rachel kissed Finn's cheek, putting the cups of hot chocolate on the bureau. Finn grabbed the cup, giving Rachel a thankful smile, then put the cup to his lips as he drank the chocolate. Finn looked over to Rachel after taking a couple of sips, looking into her brown eyes. "Do you like it?"

"Like it, I love it." Finn softly said. He grabbed the remote that was next to him and muted the game, turning his attention back to Rachel. "Burt came to the school day. Apparently, my mom is trying to get me to forgive her like right now. The problem is that it's going to be so hard for me to forgive her because the time that I could have spent getting to know my dad, he could have been there for me. He might not of had gone to jail or something, and maybe I would have had an actual father, you know."

"I know." Rachel nodded her head, getting into the bed with him as she leaned her head on his shoulder. "I feel the same way about Shelby sometimes. My dads told me about her, but I constantly wanted to look for her. I kept thinking to myself, 'why didn't she want me?' I kept trying to tell myself that it was because she was too young to handle a baby, but in my heart I knew that…being with her wasn't meant to be. I still get mad because she abandoned me…I mean, we barely see each other but…I…I sometimes wonder what life would have been like if she was in my life all the time, you know? Just like how you feel the same about you and your father."

"I'm just afraid things are a little too tainted." Finn admitted. "Things aren't going to be the same with my mom…she kept a secret and she lied to me…I really thought my dad was dead and that I was going to be able to avenge his death…but apparently not. He's alive, he was a criminal and my mom was lying about him all these years. I just wanted to know why he never wrote to me. Why never said that he wanted to meet me. I at least needed some closure."

"I know it's tough now and that this is a scary thing for you, but I just want you to know that I am not going to ever leave your side. I'll be there for as long as you need me." Rachel vowed. Finn nuzzled his nose to Rachel's feeling at ease in the moment. He stared at her, the eye contact not faltering.

"What did I do to deserve such an amazing girl like you?" Finn asked in awe. Rachel kissed him softly, placing her forehead onto his. Rachel parted her lips from Finn's, gazing into his chocolate brown eyes.

"Because you're amazing and you're so special..." Rachel told him. She leaned her head on his shoulder again as Finn wrapped his arms around Rachel, not wanting to let her go. "I love you, Finn…and there's nothing that's going to deter me from ever changing my mind. I'll always love you, no matter how old we get or how crazy you are." Rachel pressed another kiss to Finn's lips, intertwining their fingers together. Finn was the one to break the kiss this time, gazing at Rachel while a smile tugged his lips.

"You really know how to make a guy feel a little better." Finn said. He thought about something, turning his attention to Rachel. "Would it be okay if I wanted to just process everything before I even get a chance to talk to my mother? I mean, this is a lot to think about and I just need some time away from my own family. I'm not even sure I can call them family."

"Finn…I just think you're a little upset right now." Rachel softly said. "But at the end of the day, that's your mom and your dad. I'm not saying you have to talk to them…but you have to at least take some time to cool down…just think." Finn looked at Rachel, nodding his head slowly towards her.

"All right, but I refuse to still talk to them for now. I need to cool down." Finn shrugged his shoulders, staring back at the T.V.

"As long as you need, Finn." Rachel agreed, leaning on his shoulder as Finn turned back to her. He breathed in Rachel's scent, thinking about her words. Maybe he _should_ talk to them in order to clear the air a bit. Things were said out of anger, and maybe Finn was overreacting just a little bit.

* * *

The next morning, Kurt, Santana and Rachel entered the McKinley High building to head to the choir room. It was Sectionals and New Directions was performing on their own turf against the Golden Goblets and Vocal Adrenaline. Kurt, Rachel and Santana agreed to come in early and help the New Directions while Finn had something he had to take care of. As the three alumni entered the choir room, New Directions were busy working on their scales and harmonies. They had to be pitch perfect.

"All right, guys!" Mr. Schuester clapped his hands, bringing them all to the show circle. "Now, before we begin, I'm sure that Rachel, Kurt and Santana have some words that they would like to say." Santana fixed her eyes on Brittany, but Brittany looked away from her, avoiding eye contact.

"Yes, we just want to say that Vocal Adrenaline can be ruthless, they can be cruel and they can be something unimagined." Rachel said.

"I should know, I was there." Wade "Unique" Adams raised a hand in order to get everyone's attention.

"Anyway, you can't let what anyone says deter you from your ultimate goal, the Sectionals trophy." Rachel continued. "If you have that trophy, you get a chance to compete at Regionals and if you win Regionals then you get to head to Nationals where the best of the best compete. You have to be the best in order to be there and the first step is here. Don't let Vocal Adrenaline psych you out."

"What about the Golden Goblets?" Ryder Lynn asked, staring at Rachel.

"Please, they're probably going to sing some hippie-dippie song about going around Mountains, then make you wonder what the hell you were watching for the last three minutes." Santana interjected, rolling her eyes. "They're not a threat."

"So you all know the plan now, right?" Rachel stared at them. They nodded their heads, putting their hands in the circle. "Kurt, is there anything you'd like to add?"

"Don't wrinkle the dresses, presentation is everything." Kurt looked to the females. "And guys, make sure your ties are all straight."

"Got it." Blaine nodded his head, as they looked at the lights flickering.

"All right, it's show time!" Mr. Schuester clapped his hands, putting it in the show circle. "One, two, three!"

"NEW DIRECTIONS!"

* * *

Rachel walked with Kurt and Santana a few moments later, taking their seat in the auditorium to watch Sectionals. As the three of them sat down, Santana stared at Rachel, noticing that there was something on her mind.

"Rachel, what's going on?" Santana asked. "Where's Finn?"

"Finn said he was going to be here soon." Rachel answered. "He said there was something he had to take care of, regarding personal business."

"Do you think he's going to talk to his father?" Kurt wondered. "I mean what could be more important than seeing New Directions here at Sectionals."

"I'm not quite sure what he's doing." Rachel admitted, although she did have a hunch. "I think that the most we can do right now is just trust Finn is going to be okay. Finding out your father is alive after all these years kind of puts an emotional toll on a person."

"Okay, you really need to stop watching Dr. Phil." Santana chuckled towards her friend. "It's a little creepy."

"Rachel? I wasn't expecting to see you!" A voice that sounded familiar to Rachel, Kurt and Santana said. Rachel turned her head, seeing none other than Jesse St. James, the coach of Vocal Adrenaline standing before her. "It's been a long time since I've seen you. How have you been?"

"Oh look, it's Jesse St. Germ." Santana seethed, staring at him. "What do you want?"

"What I want is just to say hi to my friend, Rachel. That's all." Jesse spoke, still fixating his gaze on Rachel. "So through the show choir circuit, I heard that you were engaged to Finn still. I thought you would have had a lavish wedding where all of your Glee Club would attend. Since that would be the only place that they would sing since they'll lose here. Anyway, good luck." Jesse turned on his heels, going down to where his team sat as Rachel kept her forced smile while turning to Kurt.

"Gotta love Lima, huh Kurt?" Rachel spoke through her teeth, the plastered smile still on her face.

"But seriously, where is Finn?" Kurt whispered back.

"I'm not exactly sure…but I know he'll be here soon." Rachel assured Kurt as the lights started to dim in the auditorium. Show time…

* * *

Finn sat in the Lima Bean in one of the small booths, looking down at the cup of coffee he had in his hand. Finn didn't even like coffee, so he wasn't sure why he bought a cup. Maybe because he was feeling empty inside…and coffee didn't taste as bad when your heart was hollow. Finn took a sip, still grimacing at the taste. Finn saw someone get into the booth, sitting across from him—being none other than his father Christopher. Finn stared at Christopher for a moment, considering if this was such a good idea. Finn took a deep breath, staring at Christopher in sadness.

"I didn't know you drink coffee." Christopher tried to start conversation with his son. Finn looked at the coffee, pushing it to the side.

"I don't…" Finn shrugged his shoulders, finally looking his father in his eyes, his voice becoming bitter. "You would know that if you had been home the whole time."

"All right, I get that you're angry at me." Christopher sighed.

"Damn right I'm angry with you." Finn felt anger in his voice as he nodded his head. "You think you can come to Lima and expect us to have a relationship? You abandoned me…and you had mom lie to me the whole time!"

"I did not have your mother lie to you, Finn." Christopher said. "If anything I didn't know she was going to lie to you. It would have been for the best."

"No! What if I had wanted to know you?" Finn argued. "I'm tired of everyone trying to protect me because they're afraid of my feelings getting hurt."

"Finn, your feelings are hurt." Christopher pointed out.

"Because you and mom lied to me! That's why!" Finn shouted. He noticed everyone was looking at them and composed himself. "You left me in order to do drugs. You were apart of some drug ring and got arrested, spent most of my life in jail. What kind of father are you. Did you even tell me goodbye when you left? Did you even kiss me goodbye? Be honest Christopher…"

"You call me dad…" Christopher leaned closer to Finn's face as Finn shook his head.

"No, I'm not going to call you 'dad'. Because you're a deadbeat and you're a jackass." Finn seethed. He grabbed his sweater and left the booth, going out the door. Finn started to walk down the street, until he felt he was being pulled back. Finn fell back on the floor, looking up to see Christopher standing over him. "What the hell, man?!" Finn screamed.

"I am your father and you are going to show me respect!" Christopher shouted. Finn got up from the floor, looking his father in his eyes.

"I am _not_ going to show you any respect! You deadbeat!" Finn shouted.

_WHAM!_

Finn flew back on the floor, bringing his hands to his right eye. Christopher had punched Finn in the face. Finn looked up at Christopher almost in shock…and maybe in fear. Christopher leaned down, staring at Finn with a smirk, looking at his son.

"You better be nice to me…" Christopher's voice was eerily calm as Finn continued to stare to him.

"Or else what." Finn tried to sound furious, but his voice came out more frightened.

"Or else I'll convince your mother that you're just like me…and then she'll want nothing to do with you." Christopher got up from his position, walking away as Finn held onto where his father punched him. Finn's face twisted into sadness, and he didn't care if he looked crazy or unstable—Finn started sobbing. Finn got up from the floor, heading into the Lima Bean with tears still going down his face as he headed towards the bathroom. Finn entered the bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror, a complete blubbing mess. Finn splashed some water on his face, feeling pain near his eye, worried that the bone that was near his eye was broken from his father's punch. Finn looked into the mirror, for the first time ever feeling completely and utterly alone.

_{Finn looks into the mirror, staring at the bruise on his face as he looks scared and alone}_

_[Finn]  
When the days are cold  
And the cards all fold  
And the saints we see  
Are all made of gold  
When your dreams all fail  
And the ones we hail  
Are the worst of all  
And the blood runs stale_

_I want to hide the truth  
I want to shelter you  
But with the beast inside  
There's nowhere we can hide_

_No matter what we breed  
We still are made of greed  
This is my kingdom come  
This is my kingdom come_

_{Scene splits between Finn in the bathroom and New Directions singing on the Sectionals stage}_

_[Finn, Artie, Blaine, Sam and Jake with New Directions]  
When you feel my heat  
Look into my eyes  
It's where my demons hide  
It's where my demons hide_

_Don't get too close  
It's dark inside  
it's where my demons hide  
It's where my demons hide_

_{Scene changes to just New Directions on the stage and the audience. Rachel takes out her phone and texts Finn where he is}_

_[Artie and Kitty]  
When the curtain's call  
Is the last of all  
When the lights fade out  
All the sinners crawl_

_[Blaine and Brittany]  
So they dug your grave  
And the masquerade  
Will come calling out  
At the mess you made_

_[Jake and Marley]  
Don't want to let you down  
But I am hell bound  
Though this is all for you  
Don't want to hide the truth_

_[Sam and Tina]  
No matter what we breed  
We still are made of greed  
This is my kingdom come  
This is my kingdom come_

_[Blaine, Marley, Artie, Tina, Sam, Kitty, Brittany and Jake with New Directions]  
When you feel my heat  
Look into my eyes  
It's where my demons hide  
It's where my demons hide_

_Don't get too close  
It's dark inside  
it's where my demons hide  
It's where my demons hide_

_{Scene changes to Finn in the bathroom, staring at the text message from Rachel as he looks saddened. He ignores the text messages, staring into the bathroom mirror}_

_[Finn]  
They say it's what you make  
I say it's up to fate  
It's woven in my soul  
I need to let you go_

_Your eyes, they shine so bright  
I want to save this light  
I can't escape this now  
Unless you show me how!_

_{Scene splits with New Directions on the stage, singing as the audience starts clapping for New Directions and Finn sitting in a corner in the bathroom looking saddened}_

_[Finn, Blaine, Marley, Tina, Kitty, Brittany, Jake, Artie and Sam with New Directions]  
When you feel my heat  
Look into my eyes  
It's where my demons hide  
It's where my demons hide_

_Don't get too close  
It's dark inside  
it's where my demons hide  
It's where my demons hide_

_{Finn stares into his phone, seeing the bruise on his face and a teardrop falls on the phone screen}_

* * *

_**GUEST STARRING**_

_**Darren Criss as Blaine Anderson**_

_**Heather Morris as Brittany Pierce**_

_**Melissa Benoist as Marley Rose**_

_**Jacob Artist as Jake Puckerman**_

_**Blake Jenner as Ryder Lynn**_

_**Kevin McHale as Artie Abrams**_

_**Becca Tobin as Kitty Wilde**_

_**Alex Newell as Wade "Unique" Adams**_

_**Harry Shum Jr. as Mike Chang**_

_**Mike O'Malley as Burt Hummel**_

_**Sebastian Cuk as Christopher Hudson**_

_**Mark Salling as Noah "Puck" Puckerman**_

_**Chord Overstreet as Sam Evans**_

_**Matthew Morrison as Will Schuester**_

_**Jonathan Groff as Jesse St. James**_

_**SONG(S):**_

_**You Spin Me Right Round (Like A Record) (Originally by Dead or Alive): Performed by Finn Hudson, Mike Chang, Brittany Pierce and Rachel Berry**_

_**Sorry (Piano Version) (Originally by Jonas Brothers): Performed by Santana Lopez**_

_**Demons (Originally by Imagine Dragons): Performed by Finn Hudson and New Directions**_


	13. 1x13: To Love You More

_**Episode Synopsis: **New Directions old and new help comfort an emotionally and physically drained Finn after his encounter with his father, all while Finn battles whether or not to tell his mother about the encounter or not._

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I do not own Glee, but I wish I did. Tonight's a brand new Glee so let's all go nuts! Okay, maybe not nuts but...come on, we have to see it-Demi Lovato is in this episode. Thank you to all the reviews of the last chapter. Hopefully this one is just as powerful as the last chapter. Enjoy the episode, and reviews are love... :)_

* * *

"I can't believe it!" Marley exclaimed, staring at the Sectionals trophy in the middle of the choir room. New Directions had taken the top spot at Sectionals; they were on their way to Regionals! The other clamored around the trophy, looking over at Marley who was busy staring at her reflection. She had never seen Sectionals trophy so up close before—and Rachel, Kurt and Santana had to admit that they were amused by the sophomore's reactions. Rachel had a smile on her face, just gazing over at Marley with interest.

"Is it just me, or does Marley remind us of someone rhymed with 'Lachel Terry'?" Santana smirked, looking at Marley gazing at the trophy.

"She does remind me of Rachel, except when Rachel was a sophomore, she wanted _all_ the solos." Kurt agreed. "I mean, you had to fight tooth and nail to get a solo from Rachel. It was one of the most craziest experiences of my life."

"Okay, Kurt…" Rachel kept her smile on her face, but her voice hinted annoyance. Rachel looked down at her phone, her smile fading as she started to become worried.

"What's wrong, Rachel?" Kurt asked, looking at his friend.

"It's Finn…" Rachel admitted, turning to her friends. "I mean, we should have heard something from him by now. What if something's wrong with him?"

"You think something's wrong with Finn?" Santana asked, letting out a smirk. "When _isn't_ there something wrong with Finn?"

"Santana, I'm serious." Rachel became stern. "I mean, what if something's really wrong with him? He hasn't answered any of my text messages or phone calls."

"How many did you send him?" Kurt noticed Rachel scanning through her phone.

"I called him about…thirty times and sent him fifty text messages." Rachel said as if it was nothing. "It helps I have the unlimited plan."

"Rachel, maybe Finn's phone died." Kurt reasoned. "He usually answers after the first couple of phone calls."

"Yeah, maybe there's nothing to worry about." Santana added. "I mean, unless he made a mistake and spoke to someone he wasn't supposed to talk to. I'm sure that Finn is fine, Rachel…he's probably on his way here to apologize that he was late and then we can go back to New York." As Santana spoke those words, they heard footsteps coming down the hall. Everyone focused their attention to the door, where Finn entered looking a bit disheveled, his right eye a sickly colored purple. Mr. Schuester walked over to Finn as Rachel gripped her phone close to her. Something _did _happen to Finn. "Finn, what happened? Did you hit your big head on a light pole on the way here?" Santana quipped. Everyone stared at Finn in interest as Mr. Schuester put a hand on Finn's shoulder.

"Finn, what the hell happened?" Mr. Schuester asked as Rachel walked over to them. Finn looked to both Mr. Schuester and Rachel, not sure if he should answer. Finn held his hand to his right eye, grimacing in pain. "Finn, we need to get you to a hospital."

"I'll take him." Rachel quickly said, looking into Finn's eyes. "Whatever happened, it looks really bad."

* * *

Finn and Rachel sat in one of the rooms in the doctor's office as Finn held ice to his eye, Rachel sitting in the chair across from him. They were waiting for the doctor to return with Finn's x-rays, just to make sure any bone in his face wasn't broken. That was the last thing Finn wanted, something broken for the kids at NYADA (especially Cassandra July) to make fun of. Rachel looked at Finn, unsure if she could keep her silence for much longer. She got up from her seat to make her way to him, standing before him as he held the ice pack to his face.

"Finn, what happened?" Rachel questioned. "Something had to have happened when you left the house this morning because I called you over 30 times. You didn't pick up the phone and then you didn't answer any of my text messages."

"You mean the fifty text messages you sent me?" Finn asked, grimacing when he tried to smile. "I know, my phone got them all…my phone wouldn't stop dinging."

"Finn, this is no time for you to make any jokes." Rachel became serious, looking into Finn's eyes. "What happened Finn? Where did you go and why didn't you show up at Sectionals?" Finn looked at Rachel, feeling his bottom lip quiver. Finn vowed he wasn't going to cry, but he lost it when he put his free hand to his face, Rachel hearing him sniffle. Rachel wrapped her arms around him, letting out a deep breath. "Hey, it's okay…" Rachel soothingly and softly said. "Finn, I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on. So can you please tell me what happened?" Rachel put her hand underneath Finn's chin, causing him to look into her eyes. Rachel smiled at him, circling her thumb on his cheek. Finn gazed at Rachel, letting out a deep breath.

"I went to go see my dad…" Finn softly said, feeling a lump in his throat. "I wanted to talk to him and ask him why he abandoned me…I just wanted some answers…."

"Finn…" Rachel's smile softly went away, her face becoming serious as she stared at his bruise. "Did your dad do this to you? Did he hurt you? Because if he did…" Finn stared at Rachel, realizing he couldn't lie to her.

"Yeah…" Finn felt embarrassed, looking away from Rachel. "He punched me right in the face outside the Lima Bean. He got mad because I didn't call him 'dad'. I called him by his first name. The problem is…he's not a real dad."

"That son of a gun…" Rachel felt anger coarse through her body. "How dare he put a hand on you?!" Rachel felt like shouting. Finn stared at Rachel again, shaking his head. "Finn, we have to tell your mother about this."

"What? No!" Finn immediately sounded as frightened as a little kid who didn't want their parents to know the truth about something bad they had done. Rachel sensed the fear in Finn's voice, engulfing him into a tight hug. "We can't, Rachel…then he'll hurt me again!"

"He's not going to hurt you…" Rachel firmly said, gazing into his eyes. "Finn, he's not going to hurt you. I…Finn, why did you go and see him."

"I was just taking your advice in mending things with my parents!" Finn argued. Rachel let out an exasperated sigh, shaking her head.

"I know, but I didn't think he was going to do this to you." Rachel argued back. "If I had known, I never would have told you to talk to him. I would_ never_ put you in danger on purpose."

"I know you wouldn't, Rachel…" Finn looked at her with sincerity. "You would never do that. This isn't your fault. I kind of lost my temper with my dad. I called him a 'jackass'."

"And that's exactly what he is!" Rachel retorted. "He is a jackass!"

"Rachel." Finn seemed surprised by Rachel's language. Rachel seemed a little too fired up, and Finn was beginning to worry.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound so…vulgar." Rachel realized that she had used improper language but Finn shook his head.

"It's all right, you're just…worried." Finn shrugged his shoulders. Finn felt his heart sink, realizing that the whole time, he had Rachel doting over him. "Rachel, I'm sorry about what happened."

"Finn…what happened was not your fault." Rachel assured him, putting a hand on Finn's arm. "None of what happened was your fault, baby. I promise you. I'm worried about you though."

"Why are you worried?" Finn wondered, cocking his head to the side.

"Because you haven't been yourself ever since your father came into your life again." Rachel grabbed Finn's free hand, intertwining her fingers with his. "I realized that you aren't really your happiest…and the last thing I want is to see you really frustrated and depressed. I care about you, Finn." Finn continued to stare at Rachel, seeing she was getting closer to Finn's face. "I think that we should stay in Lima, just for a couple of days."

"But Sectionals is over with…" Finn pointed out.

"I know, but I wanted to just stay here a little while longer. Besides, would you rather be here with your friends or back at NYADA?" Rachel wondered.

"I'd rather be in New York, hiding in the loft from the rest of the world." Finn didn't hesitate with his answer. Rachel put her forehead on Finn's, gazing into his eye with interest.

"Finnegan Hudson…" Rachel softly whispered. "You can't hide from the world…there's no reason to be scared. I'm going to be there every step of the way and so are all of your friends…of course Mike and Mercedes had to go back to Chicago and L.A. to continue working towards their goals but…you have everyone else who is still here. All right? We're not going to let anything bad happen to you."

"You promise?" Finn murmured after a moment, still looking at Rachel. "Because seeing how my dad gets, there's nothing stopping him."

"I _promise_ I won't let anything happen to you…I love you, Finn…" Rachel pressed her lips to Finn's, Finn turning the kiss passionate. Finn and Rachel parted, Rachel running a hand through Finn's hair. "I love you…"

"I love you, too…"Finn said, a small smile tugging his lips. Finn and Rachel turned their heads to the doctor entering the room, holding Finn's x-rays close to her. She put the x-rays on the table, giving Finn and Rachel a smile.

"So I see your girlfriend escorted you to the hospital." The doctor grinned, still staring at Finn.

"Actually, she's my fiancée." Finn politely corrected. "We're going to get married."

"Oh, congratulations then." The doctor gave a quick smile, putting her eyes on the x-rays. "All right, so I did an x-ray on your face, and the good news is, nothing is broken."

"Thank god." Finn breathed out a sigh of relief, Rachel chuckling at Finn's reprieve.

"You just have a lot of bruising, but you should be fine if you put some ice on your bruise." The doctor further instructed. "I'm just wondering Finn, how did you get that bruise?" Finn considered telling the doctor the truth, but eventually decided against it.

"I hit my face on a pole as I was heading to my old high school." Finn lied. The doctor seemed to have bought it, nodding her head slowly.

"All right, just wanted to make sure. Now, make sure you keep some ice on that, and…watch where you're walking. We don't need you to come here with a concussion."

* * *

Finn and Rachel left the hospital a half-hour later, Finn looking down at Rachel with a small smile. Rachel looked at her phone, checking the text messages that were there while her other hand was intertwined with Finn's. As they walked along the parking lot, Finn considered saying something to Rachel, almost anything. He wasn't quite sure but even with Rachel walking beside him, Finn felt alone. Rachel noticed Finn deep in his thoughts, giving his hand a loving squeeze.

"Hey, are you okay?" Rachel asked, getting Finn's attention. "You're a little quiet."

"Me? Quiet?" Finn pointed to himself. "I'm not quiet. I think I'm the opposite of quiet."

"Finn…" Rachel giggled slightly, planting a kiss on his cheek. "Everything's going to be okay…" Rachel decided that Finn needed some sort of distraction, leading him towards her car. "Finn, I need you to take a look at my engine. I think it's almost time for me to replace it? Would you mind taking this car to the mechanic and checking it out for me?"

"Oh, sure…" Finn shrugged his shoulders as Rachel got into the driver seat and Finn getting in the passenger's seat. "I guess it couldn't hurt." Rachel put the key in the ignition, starting the car as they drove to the mechanic. What was Rachel's main reason to go to the mechanic? The answer was simple; she had to talk to Burt.

* * *

"Burt!" Rachel yelled as she drove the car inside the mechanic shop. Burt came out from under a car he was fixing, staring at Finn and Rachel with a smile.

"Finn, Rachel!" Burt got up from the floor, heading over to Rachel's car. Rachel got out of the car along with Finn, Finn going over to the table to get some equipment to look inside Rachel's car. Burt raised an eyebrow, noticing Rachel nodded her head quickly. This was only a distraction to keep Finn busy.

"Finn, I'm going to help Burt over to his table and with the bit of paperwork he has." Rachel called over her shoulder. "Just double check that everything is fine with the car."

"All right, babe!" Finn yelled, opening the front of the car to look at the wires. As Finn kept his eyes inside the car, Rachel led Burt over to Burt's desk, Burt continuing to stare at his stepson.

"Rachel, what the hell happened to Finn?" Burt harshly whispered. "He has a black and blue that's more purple than Barney the Dinosaur. And Barney is pretty purple."

"If I tell you what happened, you have to promise that you're not going to freak out." Rachel matched Burt's tone, staring into his eyes. "Finn really is frightened right now and he doesn't know where he can turn to."

"All right, try me. How did he get the black and blue?" Burt asked, looking back to his stepson.

"Finn went to go and see his father, Christopher." Rachel explained softly. "When he went to go see him, Christopher punched Finn."

"Christopher…punched Finn?!" Burt looked outraged, yet kept his soft voice in order to prevent Finn from becoming suspicious. "I'm calling the police on his ass."

"Wait, you can't." Rachel shook her head.

"And why the hell not?" Burt questioned. "If Carole walked through that door right now and saw Finn with that bruise, she'd go through hell. If she found out it was Christopher, she would pretty much destroy him."

"And if you tell Carole that Christopher punched Finn, that will only give Christopher leverage in order to come and hurt Finn again." Rachel said. "Finn is terrified right now, Burt and he needs to feel like he's in a comfort zone. I came here to talk to you because I don't know how to protect him. If Finn makes one false move, then that's not going to stop Christopher from beating up Finn, possibly worse than this time."

"Do you think that Christopher was drunk when he attacked Finn?" Burt tried to deduct to reasoning.

"I don't think so." Rachel kept her eyes fixated on Finn who was still working on her car. "Finn said that Christopher was pretty sober. I think Christopher has an anger management problem."

"Rachel, someone has to call the police on Christopher." Burt focused his awareness to Rachel.

"Look, I know what Christopher did was wrong…" Rachel started to explain until Burt cut her off.

"What Christopher did was child abuse."

"But Finn's 18." Rachel didn't see how Finn could be a child in the law's hands.

"Finn's not 21 yet, so whatever Christopher did to Finn, it's still considered child abuse. Finn's not an adult in the legal system's eyes." Burt explained. "Rachel, Finn has a black and blue and I'm pretty sure his jaw is sore. You can't tell me that Christopher didn't put Finn through some emotional pain right now. Like you said, Finn is scared out of his mind. He needs to be protected."

"And you think I don't agree?" Rachel asked, shaking her head. "I agree. But I'm afraid about how Christopher will hurt Finn."

"Christopher can't hurt Finn if Christopher is behind bars." Burt said. "Look, I'm going to tell you what I think you should do. I think you should tell Carole about this. Christopher was Carole's ex-husband and Carole would be heartbroken to find out somewhere else that Finn is being attacked by his father. Finn knows he can't fight back because Christopher is going to have him arrested. You have to nip this in the bud before this gets any worse."

"But remember, Burt…Finn doesn't know that you know." Rachel reminded him. "So what is there to do? If I call the police on Christopher, Finn is going to think that I'm the one that went back on my word."

"Rachel, Finn could get hurt or even worse killed because of Christopher." Burt attempted to reason. "If something happens to Finn, it could end badly for everyone…" Rachel saw Finn made his way over to Burt and Rachel, causing them to cease the conversation.

"Yeah I didn't find anything in the engine, Rach." Finn explained. "I checked and double checked."

"Did you do the discount double check?" Burt cracked a joke, causing Finn to pat his stepfather on his shoulder.

"Oh I don't think so." Finn chuckled. Burt's face turned serious, staring at his stepson.

"Finn, what happened to your eye? Did someone deck you or something?" Burt questioned. Finn looked to Rachel who shrugged her shoulders, pretending to not know what Burt was talking about. Finn played it off, shaking his head and letting out a small smile.

"No, no one punched me." Finn lied. "I hit myself on a pole."

"You hit yourself on a pole?" Burt repeated Finn's lie, pretending to buy it. "Just be careful…we don't need you hitting your head on anything else." Burt walked past Finn and Rachel getting back to work on a car. Finn turned to Rachel, looking a bit hopeful.

"Do you think Burt bought it?" Finn asked. Rachel shrugged her shoulders, giving Finn a meek thumb up.

"Probably." Rachel forced a smile. Finn walked over to Rachel, engulfing her in a hug as they walked over to Rachel's truck. "Hey, why don't we go to the school? Right now I think you need to be with your friends."

"I'm fine." Finn shrugged his shoulders. The truth was, Finn _said_ he was fine—but he didn't _feel_ fine.

"Regardless, we can't leave Kurt and Santana here." Rachel smiled. "If we did, then they'd meet us at home and they'd probably kill us."

"Good idea." Finn nodded his head, grabbing Rachel's hand and leading her to the car so they could go to McKinley.

* * *

Finn and Rachel walked along the hallway, finding themselves in front of the choir room. Finn noticed there was a banner with his name on it, hanging above the door, turning to face Rachel in confusion. Finn didn't know what was going on here, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't curious. Finn opened the choir room door, spotting his friends, old and new from New Directions, Mr. Schuester…and Emma Pillsbury. Finn looked to Rachel, seeing that she had a coy smile on her face. What was Rachel planning?

"Finn, glad to see that you could make it." Artie rolled over to his friends, leading Finn to a chair that was reserved for him in the choir room. Finn sat down in the chair, staring at his friends.

"What's going on here?" Finn questioned. "What's all this for?"

"Look, Finn…" Ms. Pillsbury walked over to Finn, handing him one of her famous pamphlets. Finn took the pamphlet, looking down to read the cover. '_So You Were Hit By Your Father'_. "We know that you're going through a rough time—and we don't want you to worry about that, we're going to be there for you every step of the way."

"Wait a minute, I wasn't hit by my father." Finn handed back the pamphlet, staring at Ms. Pillsbury. "What gave you an idea like that?"

"The fact that you went to go meet him at the Lima Bean this morning and had a black and blue when you came back." Kurt explained. "You _really_ shouldn't leave your phone where people can read your text messages."

"You went through my phone?" Finn sounded almost outraged.

"No _I _went through your phone." Kitty put a hand up, giving a proud smile. "When you were having a moment with Mr. Schuester in which I swore there was some romantic tension between the two of you, especially since Mr. Schuester doesn't have adult friends his own age, I went into your back pocket, read your text messages, then put the phone back before you noticed."

"You went into my pocket?!" Finn got up from his chair, but Rachel held onto his hand. "That's invasion of privacy."

"Well you weren't going to tell us what actually happened." Santana argued to him. "You were going to tell the entire world that you hit your head. The doctor called Mr. Schuester."

"Why did the doctor call Mr. Schue?!" Finn focused his gaze on Mr. Schuester.

"Because unless you are married, you are a minor and an adult has to know of your condition. Since you aren't speaking to your mother, I figured why not." Mr. Schuester shot back.

"Look, just admit that you're dad hit you so we can all move on because we all know that you're a terrible liar." Kitty crossed her arms, looking to Finn. Finn felt the anger boiling throughout his body, getting his hand out of Rachel's and kicking the chair right behind him. The room fell silent, seeing Finn was having a slight mental breakdown. Mr. Schuester started to go to Finn until Puck got in the way.

"Let me do it, Mr. Schue." Puck whispered to his former teacher. Mr. Schuester gave a nod, letting Puck make his way to his best friend. Puck put a hand on Finn's shoulder, and stared at his best friend, who was on the verge of tears. "Finn…dude…it's okay."

"NO IT'S NOT!" Finn shouted at Puck. "It's not okay! It's not okay! And do you know why it's not okay?! Because I'm _terrified_ of him! I'm terrified of my own father! Every time I close my eyes even for a _second_ I see his face, the way he looked at me when he punched me in my eye! I can't get that face out of my head! I just can't! I keep thinking he's behind one of the doors or he's in the back of Rachel's car, just waiting to attack me! This is going to drive me insane! I can't…I…" Puck pulled Finn into a man hug and that was when Finn fell apart, crying into Puck's shoulder. All Rachel could do was watch how torn and messed up Finn was about it. No wonder he didn't want his mother to know—it was because he didn't want her to go as insane as he was. Rachel did consider telling Carole about it. Burt already knew…

"Finn, no one is going to hurt you…" Quinn walked up to her friend, staring at him. "We're not going to let that happen. We all love you and the last thing we want to see is someone hurt you."

"Come here, Finnocence." Santana softly said, her voice flickering with worry. Finn wiped his tears from his face, making his way to Santana who sat him in the chair in front of her. Brittany, Quinn and Puck joined Santana's side as she sat in the chair in front of him. "Remember during our senior year and I was in the closet and you were the one that taught me how to embrace myself? You sat me in this choir room, you sang to me—and I had to admit that it was one of the most amazing things you've ever done. It's because of you that I could be myself. Never in my life did I think that the roles would be reversed, you'd be all messed up and I'd have to stand front and center in order to comfort you. Look, if I was there when your father hit you, he would be in the hospital with worse injuries than you can imagine. I care about you, and…I don't want to see you go through something like this on your own. You're my friend and I love you, even when you hog all the hot water and continuously take my cookies from the fridge and even in the middle of my novellas you change the channel to watch some sport, knowing that it annoys me…but you're like a brother to me. You defend me when I need you and now it's my turn to do the same. Brittany, Quinn, Puck and I want to sing you something because even though you may feel alone right now Finn, you aren't. You have us, you have Mr. Schue and you have Rachel." Santana, Quinn and Brittany sat on the stools in the choir room, Puck grabbing his guitar and sitting in the stool next to Quinn. The New Directions members and the alumni that were there stared at Santana, Quinn and Brittany, then focused their attention to Finn, trying to read his emotions during the entire performance.

_{Puck starts playing the guitar and Santana, Quinn and Brittany start singing to him, looking Finn in his eyes as Finn looked to them with a blank face expression}_

_[Santana]  
I remember tears streaming down your face  
When I said 'I'll never let you go'  
And all those shadows almost killed your light  
I remember you said, 'don't leave me here alone'  
But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight_

_[Santana, Quinn and Brittany]  
Just close your eyes_

_[Santana]  
The sun is going down_

_[Santana, Quinn and Brittany]  
You'll be all right_

_[Santana]  
No one can hurt you now_

_[Santana, Quinn and Brittany]  
Come morning light  
You and I will be safe and sound_

_[Brittany]  
Don't you dare look out your window  
Darling everything's on fire  
The war outside our door keeps raging on_

_[Brittany and Quinn]  
Hold on to this lullaby  
Even when the music's gone, gone_

_[Brittany, Santana and Quinn]  
Just close your eyes_

_[Quinn]  
The sun is going down_

_[Brittany, Santana and Quinn]  
You'll be all right_

_[Quinn]  
No one can hurt you now_

_[Brittany, Santana and Quinn]  
Come morning light  
You and I will be safe and sound_

_[Santana]  
Ooooooooh (Brittany and Quinn: Ooooooooh)  
Ooooooooh (Brittany and Quinn: Ooooooooh)  
Ahhhhh oh (Brittany and Quinn: Ahhhh oh)  
Ahhhhh oh (Brittany and Quinn: Ahhh oh)_

_Ooooooooh (Brittany and Quinn: Ooooooooh)  
Ooooooooh (Brittany and Quinn: Ooooooooh)  
Ahhhhh oh (Brittany and Quinn: Ahhhh oh)  
Ahhhhh oh (Brittany and Quinn: Ahhh oh)_

_[Santana]  
Just close your eyes_

_[Brittany]  
You'll be all right_

_[Quinn]  
Come morning light_

_[Santana, Quinn and Brittany]  
You and I will be safe and sound_

_Ooooooooh  
Ooooooooh  
Ooooooooh  
Ooooooooh  
Ooooooooh  
Ooooooooh  
Ooooooooh  
Ooooooooh  
Ooooooooh, Ahhhhh oh_

Finn continued to stare at them as soon as the music finished, Quinn being the first one to get out of her seat in order to give Finn a hug. Finn embraced Quinn, keeping his eyes open while looking at Santana and Brittany. Santana and Brittany joined in the hug, finally all of them letting go after what seemed to be an eternity. Finn nodded his head slowly, cracking a small smile, although Santana was sure Finn didn't really mean his smile.

"Thank you, that was really, really beautiful." Finn then walked out of the choir room, strolling down the hallway as the other New Directions members gazed out the door.

"I don't think that song worked." Brittany said after a moment, looking out the door.

"I don't think it worked either." Puck added, following Finn out the door. Puck walked down the halls, noticing that Finn was staring at the bulletin boards. "Finn?" Finn turned his attention to Puck, then back to the boards. "Dude, they poured their heart out to do and all you can do is leave the classroom and stare at some colorful bulletin boards?"

"What did you want me to say?" Finn smirked at his friend before teasingly adding, "Did you want me to say that I thought you were hot?"

"I don't know…was I hot on the guitar?" Puck joked. Finn shook his head, letting out a low chuckle. "Should I have flexed some muscle during the chorus?" Finn's chuckle turned into a laugh, putting a hand on Puck's shoulder.

"Puck, are you asking me out?" Finn couldn't help but jest. "Because you know that I'm with Rachel."

"I don't know, maybe I am." Puck shrugged his shoulders. After that remark both Puck and Finn burst out laughing, Finn wiping his tears from laughing so much.

"God, dude..." Finn continued to laugh as Puck slowly stopped his laughing.

"Yeah…" Puck walked over to his friend, embracing him in a man-hug. "Listen to me, Finn…if that psycho-dad of yours ever shows up again, then I will make sure that I will beat him up so hard. Your my brother from another mother, dude…I don't like when people treat you like dirt. I love you, man." Finn grinned from ear to ear at Puck, processing all of Puck's words. Finn patted Puck's back with a grin, nodding his head.

"I love you too, man." Finn answered back. Finn then let a thought go through his head, giving Puck a smirk. "But if you really want to get the girls to fawn over you, you gotta show your muscles when playing guitar. It's hot." Puck and Finn laughed, heading back to the choir room and although Finn felt slightly better, there was still his father in the back of his mind.

* * *

Rachel sat down on her bed that evening, watching the nightly news when Finn came into the room with some makeup supplies that Rachel asked for. Finn figured the makeup was because Rachel wanted to do her makeup—but realized it was almost ten in the evening. Rachel walked over to get the supplies, pressing a small kiss to Finn's cheek, then moved him over to the bed. Finn wasn't sure what was going on, but he was almost certain he wasn't going to like it.

"All right, thanks for bringing me the concealer and the foundation." Rachel looked at Finn's black and blue, realizing that it wasn't as bad as earlier today.

"Great, so what are you going to use it for?" Finn asked. Rachel dabbed some on her finger, looking into Finn's eyes. Finn got the message, immediately backing away from her. "Oh no! I am not going to wear makeup!"

"Finn, it's not that bad." Rachel sighed. "Besides, people are giving you scary looks because of your eye. This is just until the black and blue goes away." Finn relented, sitting back down on the bed as Rachel started dabbing the foundation on his eye.

"Wait, but if it's late, then why are we doing this now?" Finn wondered.

"This is a test run just to see if it all goes to plan." Rachel explained. "Now stay still so I can put it on." Finn nodded his head, watching Rachel put the makeup on his face.

"So, what do you think Burt thought of my black eye?" Finn wondered. "I mean, it had to have scared him a bit."

"Oh yeah, it did scare him." Rachel nodded her head, dabbing the concealer on his face. "He's just worried about you. Also, it wouldn't have hurt if you were honest with him."

"Why should I have to be honest with him?" Finn asked, staring at Rachel. "I mean, then he's just going to tell my mom."

"Burt's not going to tell Carole unless he feels Christopher is going to put you through a lot of harm." Rachel said. "But Finn, honestly I feel that Christopher is putting you through harm. You need to protect yourself, babe…"

"Why do you keep pushing me to tell my mother and Burt?" Finn snapped, his mouth turning into a frown. "Why do you think that I have to tell them? What if this was something I wanted to keep to myself!"

"Because Finn, I love you!" Rachel answered in the same tone. "I love you so much, and I don't want to see something bad happen to you because you continue to be stubborn. This is something that is out of our control! You need to tell someone about this and not just New Directions and Mr. Schue."

"So what, you think I need a shrink or something like Ms. Pillsbury?" Finn wondered. "You think I need to pour my soul into someone."

"No…especially not Ms. Pillsbury with her pamphlets." Rachel shuddered at the thought. "I need you let me take care of you, Finn. You're my heart…and the fact that you're so upset about this makes me upset because there's nothing I can do to help…at least that's how I feel right now." Rachel grabbed Finn's hand, forcing him to look her in the eye. "I love you, Finn…and there's nothing I want to do more than to be there to help you. I need you to at least consider telling your mother what's going on…at least just consider it. I know you're mad at your mom. I know, but if this gets any crazier then you need to tell your mother." Finn considered Rachel's words, finally relenting as he nodded his head.

"All right, I'll consider it." Finn agreed. Rachel's smile returned, placing the makeup on Finn's eye. After a few moments she backed away, admiring her work.

"Look at that, now you look like you've never had a black eye." Rachel smiled, handing Finn a portable mirror. Finn looked into it, seeing that makeup really did work it's magic. Sure, Finn's face was still sore as hell, but at least he didn't look like he came out of a boxing match. "Now…I believe that there's a form of payment that you have to give me…" Rachel slyly said, leaning closer to Finn's face.

"And what kind if payment should that be?" Finn chuckled. Rachel put her lips to Finn's, passionately kissing him as he held her tightly. They both fell back on the bed, making out, until their making out turned into something much more.

_{Scene changes to the next day in the Glee Choir room, Rachel standing in the front as she sings to the New Directions and the alumni that are there, but her eyes are fixated on Finn. Rachel notices Finn's smile turning wider and tears forming in his eyes as she continues to sing to him. Rachel feels tears in her eyes while singing to him, singing with love and passion}_

_[Rachel]  
Take me back into the arms I love  
Need me like you did before  
Touch me once again  
And remember when  
There was no one that you wanted more_

_Don't go, you know you'll break my heart  
She won't love you like I will  
I'm the one who'll stay  
When she walks away  
And you know I'll be standing here still_

_I'll be waiting for you  
Here inside my heart  
I'm the one who wants to love you more  
You will see I can give you  
Everything you need  
Let me be the one to love you more_

_See me as if you never knew  
Hold me so you can't let go  
Just believe in me  
I will make you see  
All the things that your heart needs to know_

_I'll be waiting for you  
Here inside my heart  
I'm the one who wants to love you more  
You will see I can give you  
Everything you need  
Let me be the one to love you more_

_And some way, all the love that we have can be saved  
Whatever it takes, we'll find a way_

_Believe me, I will make you see  
All the things that your heart needs to know_

_I'll be waiting  
Here inside my heart  
I'm the one who wants to love you more  
Cause you see I can give you  
Everything you need  
Let me be the one to love you more_

_Oh-oh-oh  
Woah-oh-oh-oh-oh!_

New Directions got on their feet, clapping excitedly for Rachel as she bowed her head towards them. Rachel then saw Finn just sitting there, wondering if there was something he wanted to say. Rachel noticed Finn getting up from his seat, _sprinting_ over to her and crashing his lips on hers, engulfing her in the most hungriest kiss she had ever experienced. Everyone started hollering and whooping, and moments later Rachel lost herself in the kiss as well. Finn finally parted, tears streaming down his face while Rachel had tears herself. She wiped a few from his face, but Finn didn't say much. Instead he kissed her again, this time the kiss was delicate. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Finn nodded his head to her, releasing the widest grin he possibly could.

"Thank you…" Finn softly whispered. Finn put a thumb to Rachel's cheek, stroking it softly as Rachel nodded her head slowly towards him.

"You're welcome." Rachel nuzzled her nose to Finn's while the other members of New Directions smiled at them. A couple more days in Lima was just what Finn needed, he needed help, and help was what he got.

* * *

Finn and Rachel walked hand and hand back to Rachel's dads house so that they could start packing back for New York, and Finn couldn't wait to go home. He was rather excited about heading to New York. It was home to him. For the first time in a while, Finn gave out an honest smile, feeling as chipper as chipper could be.

"Someone looks happy." Rachel grinned, staring at Finn's happiness.

"Finally, we're going home!" Finn said back to Rachel, unable to wipe the smile off his face. "I mean, we're going to New York so we can continue making something of ourselves! Besides, I still have some homework I have to finish."

"You mean we've been here for a couple days and you still haven't done your homework?" Rachel gave Finn an amused chuckle, shaking her head. "Bad, Finn."

"I'm not bad." Finn shrugged his shoulders, still smiling at her. "I'm just lazy." Finn looked out to the street, his smile faltering, something Rachel noticed. Rachel looked out to see someone walking down the street as Finn began to tense up. "Rachel, when I say three, I want you to run."

"What?" Rachel shook her head. "No, I'm not going to leave you."

"Rachel! I want you to run when I tell you! It's for your own good!" Finn hissed, glaring at her. Rachel had never seen Finn so tense before, or maybe Finn was just scared.

"Finn, I'm not leaving you." Rachel firmly stated, glaring Finn into his eyes. "Do you understand me?" Finn didn't argue as the person came closer to them. Finn held onto Rachel's hand tightly, seeing none other than his father make his way towards them. Finn's lips curled into a snarl, looking at the man that had the nerve to lay a hand on him.

"Well, well, well…" Christopher crossed his arms, still looking at his son. "I would have thought that you were going to leave town. What happened to the mark on your face? I didn't hit you hard enough."

"Excuse me?" Rachel spoke out, Finn's eyes widening towards her. "What did you just say to my fiancé?"

"I said I didn't hit him hard enough." Christopher smirked. "You're going to tell me that I can't put my hands on my child?"

"Finn is _not _a child!" Rachel screamed, letting go of Finn's hand and making her way over to Christopher. "And what you did to him emotionally scarred him! I just hope you know that!"

"I don't know why you're with him." Christopher shrugged his shoulders, as Rachel looked taken aback. "He's nothing special. He's a Lima Loser."

"No, _you're_ a Lima Loser!" Rachel pointed at Christopher's chest, her eye contact not faltering. "Finn is a man that is able to make something of himself in New York City!"

"Please, you really think this…this thing you two have is going to last? You'll be done in a minute." Christopher sneered. "Finn's going to be a good for nothing. It's in his bones. Besides, he's weak. He thinks actually _singing_ is going to do anything? Singing only means that he's not a man, and that he doesn't have the balls to fight. Why do you think he was kicked out of the army?"

"Wait, who told you about that?" Finn spoke, still staring at his father with hurt in his eyes. "Who told you that I was discharged from the army?"

"I have ways of figuring things out, but if you must know…your mother." Christopher started to make his way towards Finn—until Rachel got into Christopher's way. "Get out of my face Mary Sue before I _make_ you get out of my face!" Christopher shoved Rachel, and that was enough to make Finn lose it. Finn charged his father, pushing him to the ground and staring over him.

"Don't you _EVER_ put your hands on my fiancée ever _AGAIN_!" Finn screamed, not realizing that he was attracting attention. "Put your hands on her and I will _KILL YOU!_"

"Oh you wouldn't do that…" Christopher used his legs and tripped Finn onto the floor, Rachel watching in horror. Christopher got over Finn, placing both his hands around Finn's neck, attempting to choke him. "Because I'd kill you first!" Rachel took her purse off her shoulder, and in an instinct, she smacked the purse against Christopher's head, causing him to fall to the floor, and Finn to breathe for air. Rachel held her purse like a weapon, walking over to Christopher in anger.

"Touch Finn again and I will call the police on you." Rachel's voice was deathly calm, glaring into Christopher's eyes. Rachel used her purse once more to smack Christopher, Christopher letting out a groan. Finn got up from the floor, still trying to catch his breath, not noticing that tears were streaming down his face.

"HEY! What's going on here?" Rachel and Finn whiplashed their heads over to see Burt walking over with two police officers, noticing Christopher on the ground. Burt immediately knew what was going on, and after one of the police officers noticed Finn's slight black and blue, he had a feeling what had happened. The officers grabbed Christopher, Finn still trying to catch his breath while Rachel crossed her arms, staring at the man that abused her fiancé. Burt saw Finn in shock, pulling his stepson into a hug while Finn held onto Burt tightly, not letting go. "It's okay, it's okay…" Burt soothed Finn, turning his attention over to Christopher who was being placed in metal handcuffs.

"I was in the army! I should have some pride here!" Christopher screamed. Burt smirked, shaking his head towards Christopher.

"What pride?" Burt let out a hollow chuckle. "A girl just kicked your ass. I say the pride ship has _long_ sailed. Get him out of here." The officers escorted Christopher away from Finn and Rachel as Finn still gripped onto Burt. Burt went back to comforting his stepson as Rachel walked slowly towards Finn. Finn noticed Rachel letting out a slight sigh, still looking into his eyes. "Finn, are you okay?" Burt finally looked at his stepson, noticing the pain he was in. Finn continued to observe his stepfather, nodding his head while his bottom lip quivered.

"Thanks Burt…" Finn softly spoke, feeling tears come to his eyes. "You really are the 'world's greatest dad'." Finn hugged Burt once more, Burt letting out a warm smile.

"I know you think that. You gave me an apron with those words on it for 'Father's Day' last year." Burt said. "Look, you don't need that good for nothing deadbeat…he's…nothing but trouble, and it seemed that a trip back home turned into nothing but hell for you. I'm very sorry, Finn…"

"You didn't do anything wrong…" Finn looked down at his feet, feeling immense guilt.

"I should have stepped in and done something when I saw the black and blue on your face, that's what I should have done." Burt stared into Finn's eyes, putting both his hands on Finn's cheeks. "Finn, I know I'm not your real dad, but I'm always going to look out for you. I mean, there are just something's that I can't do with Kurt that I can do with you. Kurt's all about and fashion, and you know I _love_ Kurt no matter what. But it feels like you're also my son, and you're _very_ special to me and to your mother. I'm sorry, Finn."

"No, I'm sorry." Finn said. "I'm the one that should have said something as soon as something was wrong. Rachel wanted me to tell the truth but…I was so scared about what Christopher was going to do to my mom. I know why she kept him a secret from me—she didn't want this. She didn't want me to get abused by him because he has so much anger. I…I should have said something as soon as it happened. I never should have went to see him and now I feel like such an ass because I was rude and mean to mom. I'm just hoping she can forgive me."

"Finn, all your mom wants is for you to talk to her…" Burt explained. "She's not mad at you, heck she would be mad if someone kept a secret from her too, but sometimes there are things that people just shouldn't know. I know it's hard to hear son…but sometimes it's fine to be lied to, just so things like this don't happen. I know that you're doing well for yourself in New York, you're in school, you have Rachel caring about you and I am _so_ proud of you. You have to know occasionally, it's okay to call mommy and cry into her arms. Just because you're an adult, it doesn't mean you have to bottle your feelings or hide what's going on. Your mom is going to be there for you and so am I. That's one thing that will _never_ change." Finn hugged Burt tightly once more, feeling his troubles just slip away. Finn looked over to Rachel, giving her a wide smile as he broke the hug from his…his _father_. "Go ahead…" Burt nudged over to Rachel. "Go kiss your girl." Finn didn't have to hesitate, walking over to Rachel and embracing her in a passionate kiss. Rachel held on to him as tightly as she could, the both of them parting after a moment.

"I gotta be careful with you…" Finn whispered, nuzzling his nose with hers. "I didn't know you could kick serious ass…"

"I'd fight for you in a heartbeat, Finn…" Rachel looked into her fiancé's eyes. "You're always looking out for everyone…it's time someone looked out for you." Rachel gave Finn one more kiss, running her hands through his hair as Burt watched in silence. Burt may have been silenced, but he had the widest grin a person could have on their face. Watching Finn grow up before his eyes was something truly magical, it was special, it…it was _paradise_.

_{Scene changes to Finn walking, wearing a white collared shirt and jeans on the McKinley stage as he looked out at the empty seats. As the music intensifies, members of New Directions, Mr. Schuester, Rachel, Kurt, Santana, Puck and Quinn show up on the stage, all of them wearing white outfits to match Finn's, gazing out at the empty audience that's not so empty as Burt watches from the balcony with a smile on his face}_

_[Finn]  
Ooooooooh  
Ooooooooh_

_When she was just a girl  
She expected the world  
But it flew away from her reach  
So she ran away in her sleep  
And dreamed of para, para, paradise  
Para, para, paradise  
Para, para, paradise  
Every time she closed her eyes_

_Ooooooooh  
Ooooooooh_

_[Mr. Schuester]  
When she was just a girl  
She expected the world_

_[Puck and Quinn]  
But it flew away from her reach  
And the bullets catch in her teeth_

_[Blaine, Jake, Marley and Santana]  
Life goes on it gets so heavy  
The wheel breaks the butterfly_

_[Finn]  
Every tear a waterfall  
In the night, the stormy night (with Rachel and Kurt: She closed her eyes)  
In the night, the stormy night (with Rachel and Kurt: Away she'd fly)  
And dreamed of_

_[Finn, Mr. Schuester and Rachel with New Directions and New Directions Alumni]  
Para, para, paradise  
Para, para, paradise  
Para, para, paradise_

_[Artie with New Directions]  
Oh, whoa, oh, oh_

_[Finn, Mr. Schuester and Rachel with New Directions and New Directions Alumni]  
She dreamed of para, para, paradise  
Para, para, paradise  
Para, para, paradise_

_[Artie with New Directions]  
Oh, whoa, oh, oh_

_{During the music break, the scene changes to Finn, Rachel, Kurt and Santana entering the loft in New York City and Finn sitting down on the couch as he thinks to himself. The scene changes back to the McKinley High auditorium when the group sings once again}_

_[Finn]  
So lying underneath (with Rachel: The stormy sky)  
She said, oh, whoa (with Rachel: I know the sun is set to rise)  
This could be_

_[Finn, Mr. Schuester and Rachel with New Directions and New Directions Alumni]  
Para, para, paradise  
Para, para, paradise  
This could be para, para, paradise_

_[Artie with New Directions]  
Oh, whoa, oh, oh_

_[Finn, Mr. Schuester and Rachel with New Directions and New Directions Alumni]  
This could be para, para, paradise  
Para, para, paradise  
This could be para, para, paradise_

_[Artie with New Directions]  
Oh, whoa, oh, oh_

_{Scene changes to New York as Finn works on his homework. Finn hears a knock at the door and gets up to open it, seeing his mother standing at the doorway when Finn slides the door. They just stand there as Finn looks at her. The scene changes back to the McKinley High auditorium}_

_[Finn, Mr. Schuester and Rachel with New Directions and New Directions Alumni]  
This could be para, para, paradise  
Para, para, paradise  
This could be para, para, paradise_

_[Finn and Artie with New Directions]  
Oh, whoa, oh, oh_

_{Scene changes back to New York where Finn continues to look at his mother, then follows Burt's advice as he walks over to her, engulfing her in a hug as he starts to cry. Carole holds Finn tightly as Finn cries into her arms}_

_[Finn]  
Ooooooooh  
Ooooooooh  
Ooooooooh  
Ooooooooh_

_{The scene fades to black as Finn and his mother stand in the hallway, Finn holding his mother as he cries into her arms}_

* * *

_**GUEST STARRING**_

_**Melissa Benoist as Marley Rose**_

_**Jacob Artist as Jake Puckerman**_

_**Becca Tobin as Kitty Wilde**_

_**Dianna Agron as Quinn Fabray**_

_**Mark Salling as Noah "Puck" Puckerman**_

_**Matthew Morrison as Will Schuester**_

_**Jayma Mays as Emma Pillsbury**_

_**Mike O'Malley as Burt Hummel**_

_**Darren Criss as Blaine Anderson**_

_**Heather Morris as Brittany Pierce**_

_**Kevin McHale as Artie Abrams**_

_**Remy Rosemont as Carole Hudson**_

_**Sebastian Cuk as Christopher Hudson**_

_**Lisa Endelstein as "Doctor"**_

_**SONG(S):**_

_**Safe and Sound (Originally by Taylor Swift feat. The Civil Wars): Performed by Santana Lopez, Brittany Pierce and Quinn Fabray with Noah "Puck" Puckerman**_

_**To Love You More (Originally by Celine Dion): Performed by Rachel Berry**_

_**Paradise (Originally by Coldplay): Performed by Finn Hudson, Will Schuester, Noah "Puck" Puckerman, Quinn Fabray, Santana Lopez, Rachel Berry, Kurt Hummel and New Directions**_


	14. 1x14: Being Good Isn't Good Enough

_**Episode Synopsis:** Rachel auditions for Funny Girl after finding out that her audition had been moved up from December, but when the casting director (**Peter Facinelli**) says that Rachel is "too green" or inexperienced for the role, Finn, Santana and Kurt get her a job at a Broadway diner in order to help her gain experience. Finn, Santana and Kurt also get jobs at the diner with the intent of helping Rachel get back on her feet. Meanwhile, Burt calls Kurt with some news dealing with Finn and Kurt asks Carole for advice, all while Santana and Kurt worry that Finn is taking on a huge workload in order to help him cope with his father drama._

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I do not own Glee, but I wish I did. I thought Glee last night was amazing, but I also felt that Brittany's dinosaur prom was the best prom ever done on Glee. Next week is the Finn episode and while I'm saddened, I'm truly ready to see what direction Ryan Murphy takes this tribute and also how will the New Directions, Mr. Schuester, Rachel, Kurt, Santana, Mercedes and Puck say goodbye to their friend. I know it's going to be a beautiful episode. _

_Now on a happier note, Finn's story-line with his father in this story is nowhere near done, and I think it's going to be something Finn's going to have to deal with, especially with how he deals with this emotionally. But, since the last three chapters were kind of doom and gloom, here's a more upbeat chapter. Yes, I included three songs that were already on the show but this was how I would have used them. Enough of my rambling, here's the newest episode of_ _**Glee: The New York**_** Story**.

* * *

_{Scene shows Rachel sitting in a waiting room holding sheet music close to her as she stares at a picture of her, Finn, Santana and Kurt on her phone. She releases a smile then looks up as she nods her head}_

_**Rachel Voice Over:**_

_Don't you hate it when things in life don't go according to plan? I know I do. It's one of those things that makes you question why things happen in your life for a reason, why things have to change. Want to know what I'm talking about? My audition for Funny Girl was supposed to be in December, after my wedding to Finn, just so I could concentrate on that. Instead, I was called in to perform for them today because they had a slot open. Apparently, they want to see if I had potential. I found out about it last night when Finn and I were in the middle of canoodling and watching one of those horrible movies from the 1980's yet they're so invigorating to watch. I'm not quite sure which one is Finn's favorite, yet. I wish I knew. _

_Anyway, instead of helping Finn run the Glee Club at NYADA, I'm spending my afternoon here, waiting to perform a piece and to convince them that I am worthy of being on Broadway. Broadway has been a dream of mine ever since I saw my first show as an infant. It was what I was destined to do, I was born to be a star. Also, I want to make enough money so that Finn and I never have to worry about being financially stable, but mostly or the acting and for the love I have for the theatre. _

_You're probably wondering why I'm bringing up financials? Well, my dad's still don't know about the wedding but I know the first thing that they're going to say is that I should have waited. They also would want me to get a job that shows my creative talents. Broadway is what my talents are for, it's where I shine, it's where I belong. To make sure that I killed my audition, I brought a couple things with me for good luck. Santana gave me a piece of her old Cheerio pom-poms from when she was in High School, Kurt gave me his hippo broach which I'm sure should be considered a deadly weapon if you held it too close to you, and Finn, sweet, sweet Finn. He gave me one of his prized red drumsticks, and a kiss for good luck. Only Finn could make you feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Finn was my rock, he was my heart and soul and I don't only want to get this role for myself. I want to get this role because I know that Finn would be so proud, he could say that I was a star on Broadway, and that he was the one that was going to be with me for better or for worse. Finn also could use some good news. Ever since we came home from Lima, Finn had been apprehensive about everything. Every noise that's made kind of puts him on edge and that was pretty much the last thing I wanted to see from him. Sure, his mother came and they talked it out but…Finn's still a little nervous. Carole agreed to stay in New York for a little while in order to make sure Finn was back on his feet and 100%. I think I wanted to do this more for Finn than I wanted to do it for myself. I'm going to make Finn proud, no matter what. Watch out world, because Rachel Berry is coming through…and there is nothing that's going to get in her way._

"Rachel Berry?" Rachel was moved out of her thoughts by the secretary at the front desk. Rachel got up from her seat, smoothing her skirt and walked over to the receptionist. "Mr. Campion will see you now." Rachel nodded her head, heading towards the auditorium, feeling as confident as ever. This was Rachel's time to shine, and there was no one that was going to get in her way.

Rachel entered the auditorium, staring at the casting directors, suddenly feeling butterflies in her stomach. _Snap out of it, Rachel_, Rachel thought to herself. _There's no time to be nervous. This is your time_. Rachel made her way to the middle of the auditorium, gazing over at the casting directors.

"Hello there, Rachel." The casting director said, staring at Rachel with a polite smile. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you." Rachel politely answered.

"Where are you from, Rachel?" The casting director asked, giving Rachel's resume a glimpse.

"I'm from Lima, Ohio." Rachel said. "I was in Glee Club for about three years and, well…here I am." Rachel let out an anxious chuckle, something she hoped the casting director wouldn't notice.

"And what are you going to sing for us, today?" If she was nervous, the casting director didn't catch it—or he was just being polite.

"I am going to sing _Somewhere_ from the Broadway Classic _West Side Story_. It's a personal favorite of mine." Rachel cleared her throat, turning to the band who started to play the music. Rachel felt herself getting lost in the music, and every time she closed her eyes she saw herself and Finn. There was going to be a somewhere for the both of them, Rachel knew it in her heart—she just hoped that she could get through the audition without tanking it. This was her one chance.

_{Rachel looks out to the auditorium, releasing a smile as she lets in and out a deep breath. She stares at the director, hoping that he feels the same emotions she does, but he looks unmoved}_

_[Rachel]  
There's a place for us  
Somewhere a place for us  
Peace and quiet and open air  
Wait for us, somewhere_

_There's a time for us  
Somewhere a time for us  
Time together with time to spare  
Time to learn  
Time to care  
Someday_

_Somewhere,  
We'll find a new way of living_

_Oh, oh, we'll find a way of forgiving  
Somewhere, somewhere_

_There's a place for us  
A time and a place for us  
Hold my hand and we're halfway there  
Hold my hand and I'll take you there_

_Somehow  
Someday  
Somewhere!_

The ending music was cut off, causing Rachel to give the casting director a look of confusion. He simply put his hand up, getting up from his seat while nodding politely at her.

"Thank you Rachel. That was all I needed to hear." The casting director told her. Rachel stood there, shuffling her feet as she gave him a jumbled look. Rachel wasn't sure where it went wrong. She hit every note, her breath control was perfect and she memorized all the words. Was it possible that the casting director didn't like her?

"That's it?" Rachel tried not to sound disappointed, but it was evident in her voice.

"Yep, that's it." The casting director walked away with the folder in his hand, Rachel standing on the stage in slight shock. She was sure she had messed up her chance. She messed up her chance for stardom and Broadway. Rachel started to head to the waiting room in order to leave the building—when she heard the casting director talking to someone that worked closely with him.

"So what did you think of the girl, Rupert?" Rachel heard a woman voice talking to Rupert, Rachel holding her breath.

"She's very charming and she definitely can sing." Rupert told what Rachel believed to be as the assistant.

"But…"

"But I'm not sure that she's seasoned for the role." Rupert revealed. "I'm afraid she's too green. I mean, she's so young and she has no experience. I appreciate that you found someone to bring her in to audition but in the end, I don't think she's right for the part." That was all Rachel needed to hear. She made her way out of the building, walking along the streets, trying her hardest not to cry. Rachel stopped in front of the train, realizing that her hopes were ruined. With her dreams dashed, Rachel boarded the "L" train and took to Bushwick where she would tell her roommates and fiancé the terrible, terrible news.

* * *

Rachel entered the loft an hour later, feeling depressed. She couldn't believe that she didn't get the part—or at least they didn't want to give it to her. Fanny was a role made for her, she was ambitious and she was determined to get whatever she wanted. Rachel didn't want to settle for less. Unfortunately, this wasn't a time for Rachel to be picky. She blew her chance at the role she wanted, so she figured what was there to continue living her dreams for? Rachel headed towards her bedroom, just wanting to crawl under the sheets and not come out. On the way there, she heard giggling come from Santana's room, Rachel figuring that Dani had come over to spend time with Santana. Rachel shook her head, continuing her trek to the bedroom. Rachel didn't understand why the directors didn't love her. She was likable, she was amazing, she was talented. Maybe she was just…green…whatever that meant. Rachel entered the bedroom, spotting Finn ironing a shirt that she had never seen before—it looked like a bowling uniform, while he watched television. Rachel put her coat in the closet, not saying a word to Finn, afraid that she was going to lose it and cry. Finn looked up from his shirt, seeing Rachel sitting down on the bed with her hands folded in her lap.

"Hey, you." Finn grinned at her, still ironing his shirt. "How did the audition go? Did they fall in love with you?" Rachel stood quiet, shaking her head sadly. Finn turned off the iron, making his way over to Rachel with a saddened expression. "Rachel, I'm so sorry…" Finn rubbed Rachel's shoulders, seeing that she was just stone faced. "So what did they say about your audition?"

"They said that I was too green…whatever that means." Rachel sighed, looking away from Finn.

"That just means you're inexperienced." Finn explained. Rachel looked back to him, raising her eyebrows up while Finn shrugged his shoulders. "I learned it in Carmen Tibideaux's class. It's actually interesting once you listen in class. Anyway, did they tell you this to your face?"

"Well, no…" Rachel admitted, staring away. "They didn't say it to my face. I overheard them when I was leaving the audition. They did agree that I could sing though."

"Of course you can." Finn let out a playful scoff, putting a hand through Rachel's hair. "You are the best singer I have ever heard. Look, I know it's easy being green…but we just have to get you un-green."

"The Kermit The Frog song, really?" Rachel couldn't help but have a small smile tug at her lips.

"The Kermit The Frog song." Finn laughed, pressing a kiss to Rachel's hand. "Look, I'm un-greening myself as well. I noticed that I needed some extra cash since everyone's so busy and I never actually have money to eat something, so I got a job today."

"You?" Rachel pointed to him, feeling shocked that Finn actually had done something else with his life while Rachel was unsure with hers. "Where did you get a job at? A bowling alley?"

"Nope." Finn shook his head. "Remember that diner I took you to? I got a job there as a kitchen helper. Kurt and Santana have one too, and since you're the only one that doesn't have a job, maybe you could get one there too."

"Finn, you got a job at the diner?" Rachel still was a bit in shock. "What about the Glee Club?"

"Oh, I'm doing the graveyard shift." Finn said. "That way I can have time to work, go to school _and_ run the Glee Club."

"Finn, do you mind if I ask you a serious question?" Rachel pondered.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Well, are you sure that you aren't doing all this just so you can keep your mind off of…he who must not be named?" Rachel didn't feel comfortable mentioning the name to Finn who raised an eyebrow with a muddled expression.

"Who, Lord Voldemort?" Finn wondered.

"No…your dad." Rachel said in a soft tone, just so she wouldn't make Finn upset.

"No, I'm not doing it to keep my mind off him." Finn smiled. "I'm doing it because I want to do something with my life, and my life is really delicate to me, you know? I want to be a great man for you, Rachel…but I know that it's going to take time to get my dream job. In the meantime I can wash dishes and possibly take orders." Rachel forgot all about her audition for the moment, wrapping her arms around Finn's neck, giving him a pleased smile.

"Well then, I am very proud of you Mr. Hudson." Rachel kissed him, Finn responding to the kiss. After some time, Finn parted, looking to her with a grin.

"So are you going to work with me?" Finn questioned. "I can get Santana to get you a job. She said that it was rather easy. I'd rather she work her magic instead."

"Well, if that's the case…" Rachel didn't see the harm in it. Maybe working with Finn to earn a bit of cash would be some fun. "All right then, I'll work with you."

"All right then!" Finn hugged Rachel, Rachel breathing in Finn's scent. She refused to let him go, pulling him on the bed with her as she gazed in his eyes. "As much as I would love to lie in bed with you all night, I have to finish ironing my shirt for work. I'm sure you're going to think I'm sexy in it."

"Do you get your own nametag?" Rachel playfully asked, Finn chuckling as he pressed a kiss to Rachel's lips.

"Of course, that way if you ever forget my name…you can say it by reading my name tag." Rachel giggled at Finn, seeing that he was attempting to get up from his position. "How about you iron my shirt for me while I go talk to Santana about getting you that job?"

"Ooh, that sounds marvelous." Rachel grinned at Finn; however, she kept holding him, engulfing him in a passionate kiss.

* * *

"I don't know if this is such a good idea." Rachel said as she, Finn, Santana and Kurt were on the bus on the way to the diner the next evening. "I mean, look at me. I look like a Cheerio threw up on me, and these boots are highly uncomfortable."

"Come on, you are not backing out on this." Santana pointed her finger towards Rachel. "Do you know what I had to _show_ in order to get you and Finn a job? I mean, I swear I think the only reason Finn got one is because the manager is gay on the down-low and thinks Finn is gay too."

"Gee Santana, thanks for prostituting yourself to get us this job." Finn sardonically remarked. Santana rolled her eyes towards Finn, causing Kurt to chuckle.

"Oh come on guys, we get to work together. What could be more fun than that?" Kurt looked to the three of them.

"Let's think that we all live with each other." Santana said. "I mean, I love you guys, don't get me wrong but I think that I could without seeing the three of you for eight hours all night. By the way, how the heck are you even doing this job, Finn? Don't you run the Glee Club at your school or something?"

"Running the Glee Club doesn't pay any money, and I need cash." Finn replied, looking at Santana with a sigh. "Besides, I think that this would be good for me. I can have a job on my resume along with attending school and running a Glee Club. It's heaven."

"Are you sure that you're not doing too many things at once?" Kurt asked his brother. "I mean I noticed ever since we came home to New York, you've been doing so many things at once. I mean I even caught you drinking those five-hour energy drinks in order to keep up with everything. Last time I checked, it didn't work out for you."

* * *

_Santana, Kurt and Rachel sat on their loft couch, watching a program on MTV, trying to enjoy their lazy afternoon, apparently sure that nothing interesting was going to happen during that day—until Finn came in the room with more energy than the Energizer Bunny._

"_Hey guys! Hey guys! Hey! Hey! Hey!" Finn started jumping up and down on the couch causing Kurt and Santana to give Finn a puzzled look. "Hey! It's a beautiful day outside! Let's go play outside! Come on! Let's go to the park and play! Let's go! Let's go! They don't give music on MTV anyway! Not sure why they call it MTV anymore! Let's go guys! Come on! Let's go and play!"_

"_He drank the energy drink?" Kurt simply asked, not even looking over at Rachel._

"_He drank the energy drink," Rachel replied in the same tone. Finn jumped off the couch, grabbing one of the pillows that were on the other couch and looked as if he was going to throw it right at Santana._

"_Oh, Finn I wouldn't do that if I were you!" Kurt warned his brother, but of course, hyper-Finn didn't hear a word Kurt said. Finn threw the pillow at Santana's face, Rachel and Kurt holding their breath. Santana kept a calm expression as she turned to Finn or as Rachel and Kurt called it 'the calm before the storm'._

"_Finn?" Santana calmly said before attempting to lunge at Finn. "YOU'RE DEAD, HUDSON!" _

"_NO!" Kurt and Rachel grabbed Santana as Santana started yelling at Finn in Spanish, trying to make her way to Finn so she could claw his eyes out. _

* * *

"It's not my fault." Finn plainly said, trying to forget the memory. "I thought you could take two of those back to back. I mean five times two is ten, so I thought I'd have energy for ten hours."

"You crashed after the third hour." Kurt chuckled while Rachel and Santana stifled their laughter. Finn's cheeks reddened, trying to hide his face in his hand.

"Yeah, you should really never take those again." Santana hooted, Rachel and Kurt bursting out into laughter.

"All right, all right." Finn stopped their laughing, shaking his head. "Anyway, how did we get this conversation on me?"

"Let's think because you're doing too many things at once." Kurt answered. "Finn, look I know you're trying to distract yourself from all the crap that happened in Lima, but you really need to take a step back, buddy."

"I'm fine." Finn said, noticing that their stop was coming up. "Come on. Manual labor awaits us." Rachel remembered her nerves about working. Rachel gripped Finn's hand tightly, Finn noticing her nervousness. "Come on Rach, you're going to love this. It's a Broadway diner, which means the staff gets to sing. That's what you love to do."

"But if I wasn't good for the _Funny Girl_ audition then what makes you think that I'm good enough for this?" Rachel was uncertain.

"Because you're Rachel Berry." Kurt answered before Finn could say anything. "You're talented, you're amazing and you're special."

"Yeah, what Lady Hummel said." Santana added without looking up at Rachel. Santana's eyes were currently glued to her phone, staring at a picture of her and Brittany from their senior year of High School.

"All right, I think I can do this." Rachel nodded her head as the four of them got off the bus. Santana entered the diner with Kurt, Rachel and Finn in tow, the manager staring at Santana with steely eyes.

"Santana, you're late." The manager said.

"Sorry Gunter." Santana added, putting on her apron and handing Rachel her apron as well. "This is Rachel, Kurt and Finn. You remember them, right?" The manager kept his eyes on Finn, finally making his way to the back as Finn's eyes widened.

"Santana, I think he really thinks I _am_ gay." Finn whispered as Santana gave him and Kurt their aprons.

"Maybe he does, who knows." Santana shrugged her shoulders, having Rachel follow her over to one of the tables. Rachel stared over at Finn, seeing he was grabbing the basket with the dirty dishes, Kurt following in suit. This was it. Showtime.

"I don't know, Santana." Rachel started following Santana around the diner. "I mean, maybe this was all a mistake. I know that I want to make it on my own and become successful but working at a diner?"

"Look Rachel, if Julia Roberts, Alicia Keys and Jay-Z can have dead end jobs before their career really started, then so can you." Santana flipped open her notepad. "It's not the end of the world. Besides, this is just so you can get back on your feet. This could be the thing that takes you out of your funk."

"I guess…" Rachel and Santana heard the door behind them opening, seeing Dani entering the room while putting her apron on.

"Hi Rachel, hey Santana." Dani grinned towards them as Santana smiled. "Sorry I'm late; the bus and train ride was really crazy."

"It's all right, we were holding down the fort just fine." Santana laughed slightly, Rachel nodding her head as well.

"So is the whole gang here?" Dani noticed Kurt taking orders from another customer and Finn wiping down the counters. "I never thought of Finn as the Broadway diner type."

"Finn just wants the cash." Santana said, looking over. "I also think that he's here so that he can sneak Rachel some kisses during work and have romps with her in the break room."

"_Santana_!" Rachel hissed towards her friend. Rachel fixated her gaze to Dani, letting out a nervous chuckle. "He's here for the money. I think he's also here so that he can get me back on my feet. I had what I felt was a really…really bad audition."

"Oh, I'm sure it wasn't that bad." Dani waved her hand dismissively.

"Not that bad?" Rachel's eyes widened. "I mean, the director called me 'green'. I didn't know what 'green' meant and Finn knew! That's how bad it was."

"Rachel, everyone has stinkers of auditions. I'm sure that you'll get back on the right track soon." Dani smiled.

"Right, I don't think so." Rachel sighed. "I mean it's so hard. This was something that I was working for, something that I seriously, really wanted. And now it's all going to hell because I'm green."

"Rachel, everything's going to be fine." Santana assured her. "Now get to work before Gunter fires you." Rachel grabbed her notepad, going over to one of the tables as she started taking orders. This was going to be a long, long day.

* * *

Finn wiped down a couple of the cups, staring into his reflection as he let out a smile. His mother had taught him the art in washing dishes and cups, but he was a bit embarrassed to admit to Rachel that he was a pro at it. If she found out, then she'd expect him to do the dishes at home all the time. Finn put the clean cups in one of the bins, carrying it and taking it to the tables. As Finn walked over to the door, someone swung it open, causing Finn to slip backwards and fall on the floor. Finn groaned, looking at the cups that he was going to have to wash again. Finn wanted to know who was the one that had made him trip. He had some words for them. As Finn glared up, he saw none other than—_Brody?_

"Brody?" Finn looked up at him, getting up from the floor as he started to pick up the cups. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I work here." Brody shook his head, still staring at Finn. "I've been working here for the past five months and…why am I answering your question? What are _you_ doing here?!"

"Me? I work here." Finn pointed to his own chest, both rivals realizing that they worked at the same job. "Oh brother."

"Look, I don't have time for your childish games. I have to go and make a check so I can afford and pay off school. Sorry I don't have a doting mommy to pay my way through college." Brody mocked Finn as he walked past him.

"Last time I checked, you were the one that was playing a childish game." Finn smirked. "You tried to steal Rachel from me…but I know now that you can't, because Rachel's mine."

"Whatever, dude." Brody shrugged his shoulders, obviously pretending that he didn't give a damn about Finn and Rachel's relationship. "Look, just stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours."

"Fine…" Finn shrugged his shoulders, spotting Rachel filling the sugar shakers. Finn walked over to Rachel with Brody watching. Rachel looked up to see Finn staring right at her, but before she could get in a word, Finn pressed a kiss to Rachel's lips. Finn parted, releasing a smile as he grabbed the towel that was on the counter, making his way back to the kitchen. Rachel felt her cheeks redden and had a grin that was _so_ hard to wipe off her face. Finn walked past Brody, emitting a smirk to Brody as he went back to washing the dishes. Brody felt jealousy go through his body, walking away from Finn in haste. Brody had to do something about Finn—even if it meant making Finn's life at work hell.

* * *

The night rush was insane, and Rachel was just glad that it was over with. Unfortunately, she had to wait a couple more hours before she could go home. Currently Rachel, Finn, Kurt, Santana and Dani were on their "lunch" break, eating something quickly before getting back to work. Rachel sat with her friends by the counter, but she was too distracted to eat. She was thinking about what went wrong with her audition. Finn noticed Rachel's distraction, snapping his fingers in front of her face.

"Rach. Earth to Rachel." Finn said, causing Rachel to whip her head to him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Rachel lied, looking away from Finn. Finn chuckled, putting a hand in hers.

"No you're not." Finn stared into her eyes. "Come on, are you still thinking about your audition, Rachel?"

"Well…" Rachel thought about whether or not to talk to Finn about it, but she knew that he knew. "I was kind of thinking about it. What if I'm not good enough for even get a callback?"

"Rachel, you are crazy talented." Finn honestly told her. "I love the way you sing and…if they didn't like you then screw them. They're losers and they don't deserve your time." As soon as Finn said those words, the casting director Rupert entered the diner, causing Rachel to release a nervous breath. Finn noticed Rachel's nervousness, grabbing her notepad from her. "I'll take this one."

"No…" Rachel shook her head, slowly taking the book from Finn. "I can do this one." Finn nodded his head, giving her a supportive smile as Rachel got up from her seat, walking over to Rupert. Rupert took one look at Rachel, recognizing her from the audition. "I know what you're thinking." Rachel continued to look at him, shaking her head. "You think that I'm too young and that I'm too green. That I have no experience whatsoever, well I know that I have talent and I know that I'm special and I came to New York because I know that I have what it takes to be…"

"_A big huge star_!" Rupert said in an over exaggerated voice. Rupert gave Rachel a serious look, his expression softening. "Rachel, everyone in this town thinks that they're a star. What makes you think that you're any different from the person that auditioned before you, or the person that auditioned after you?"

"Fine, you want to know what makes me any different? I'll show you. Hit it, Finn!" Rachel yelled across the room where Finn was standing by the jukebox, pressing a button to play one of the songs. Santana, Dani and Kurt got up from their positions by the counter, joining Rachel in the song, turning what looked to be a simple number into a show time extravaganza.

_{Rachel, Santana, Dani and Kurt along with the other servers dance around the restaurant as Finn goes behind the counter to set up cups and pots and pans}_

_[Rachel]  
It's been a hard day's night  
And I've been working like a dog  
It's been a hard day's night  
I should be sleeping like a log  
But when I get home to you  
I find the things that you do  
Will make me feel all right_

_[Rachel and Kurt]  
You know I work all day  
To get you money to buy you things  
And it's worth it just to hear you say  
You're going to give me everything_

_So why on earth should I moan  
Cause when I get you alone  
You know I feel okay_

_[Rachel]  
When I'm home  
Everything seems to be right  
When I'm home  
Feeling you holding me tight, tight_

_[Santana and Dani]  
It's been a hard day's night  
And I've been working like a dog  
It's been a hard day's night  
I should be sleeping like a log_

_[Rachel, Kurt, Santana and Dani]  
But when I get home to you  
I find the things that you do  
You make me feel all right, YEOW!_

_{Rachel points to Finn who's behind the counter as he starts drumming on the cups, pots and pans with some spoons. He stares at Rachel as he smiles widely at her.}_

_[Rachel and Kurt]  
So why on earth should I moan  
Cause I get you alone  
You know I feel all right_

_[Rachel and Dani]  
When I'm home  
Everything seems to be right  
When I'm home  
Feeling you holding me tight, tight_

_[Rachel, Kurt, Santana and Dani with the Dining Staff]  
It's been a hard day's night  
And I've been working like a dog  
It's been a hard day's night  
I should be sleeping like a log_

_But when I get home to you  
I find the things that you do  
You know I feel all right  
You know I feel all right  
You know I feel all right!_

The patrons in the diner started applauding Rachel, Kurt, Santana and Dani but the only applause Rachel was really searching for was Rupert's. Once again, he looked emotionless as he watched Rachel; she found it a bit hard to read him. Rupert nodded his head to Rachel, picking up his menu as he started scanning through it.

"I'll order now." Rupert simply said. Rachel's heart sank, but she knew that she couldn't cry there. Instead, she took out her notepad, getting ready to write down his order. From far, Finn studied Rachel, feeling his heart sink along with hers. He couldn't help but feel terrible for her. Broadway was what Rachel wanted, and to see her dream crushed right in front of her made him wish that he could do something. Finn stroked his chin, still looking at Rupert, a small smile forming on his face. Maybe there _was_ something Finn could do—he just had to hope that it was going to work.

* * *

Finn entered the loft and closed the door behind him, rushing to his room to get the papers for the Glee Club—until he heard the telephone ring in the living room. Finn groaned, walking to pick it up. Finn grabbed the phone, putting it close to his ear.

"Hello?" Finn sounded a bit impatient, staring down at the sheet music.

"_Gee, someone sounds like they're in a rush to get somewhere_." Finn's mood immediately lightened, holding the phone close to him.

"Burt! Hey!" Finn grinned from ear to ear. "Sorry, it's just that I'm going to be late for class if I don't get a move on, but I have time. I have about ten minutes."

"_I was just calling to check up on you." _Burt said. _"I mean, I just wanted to make sure you were all right after the whole…Christopher drama_."

"Yeah, I'm okay. I'm slowly getting better." Finn wasn't sure how true that sentence was. He did have a lot of things distracting him at the moment, so he figured he was all right. "So, how have things been in Lima? How are you feeling?"

"_Things have been great; I mean I've been here and there, keeping myself busy. It's not easy let me tell you." _Burt let out a chuckle through the phone. _"I'm just glad you're okay, buddy. I mean I was getting a little worried about you. Did you speak with your mom?"_

"Yeah, she's in New York for a bit." Finn answered. "We spoke, everything's going to be fine between us and she's just in the city in case I need someone to talk to and Rachel's not available. Don't worry, she's not staying forever."

"_I was hoping she wouldn't be away from Lima forever._" Burt cleared his throat, but his voice became more lighthearted. _"Hey, is your brother home? I wanted to talk to him since he didn't call me today_."

"Sure, he's probably in his room working on some designs for the website." Finn nodded his head, looking out towards the hallway. "Hey Kurt! Dad's on the phone!" Finn wasn't sure what caused him to yell out that Burt was his father…but it really felt that way. Burt was there for him more than his own dad, and when Finn said it, it just felt right.

"_Did you just call me, dad?_" Burt asked, but his tone was speechless, almost surprised that Finn had considered him that.

"Yes, yes I did." Finn spoke with confidence. "You were there for me more than my father. You're not my birth father…but you're my _dad_."

"_God, I think I'm gonna cry Finn…" _Burt slightly teased, but Finn heard Burt's voice crack. Kurt exited the bedroom, looking at his brother standing there.

"Oh, Kurt's here to talk to you." Finn spoke. "I have to run to class but I'll call you when I get a break. With school, Glee Club and now work I'm gonna have to find some time to prioritize."

"_All right, just make sure that you find time to eat and take care of yourself." _Burt softly said into the phone. _"And make sure to call your mom so that she doesn't worry, you promise?_"

"I promise, don't worry." Finn held his hand up, releasing a smile.

"_All right. I love you, buddy." _Burt told him. Finn gripped the phone close to him, now giving a goofy grin.

"I love you too…_dad_." Finn handed the phone to Kurt, patting his back and heading out the door to head to class. Kurt shook his head with a smile, placing the phone close to his ear.

"So you and Finn are on 'dad' terms now?" Kurt chuckled.

"_You're not jealous, are you?_" Burt teased his son. "_Because you know I consider you and Finn both my boys._"

"I'm not jealous." Kurt shook his head. "Finn's my brother, I love the lug."

"_I know you do_." Burt became serious, letting out a sigh. "_Kurt, would you mind sitting down for a minute? There's something I need to talk to you about. It's about Finn." _

"Finn? What about Finn?" Kurt sat down on the couch, wondering what his father had to say. "Is something wrong?"

"_Well, there is a bit. He's not in trouble but, there's something wrong." _Burt took a deep breath, getting what he had to say off his chest. _"Finn's biological father was released from jail._"

"What? How was he released?!" Kurt got up, pacing around. "He hit and choked Finn and shoved Rachel. Rachel had to smack him a couple times in order to subdue him?! That's battery right there!"

"_Well, apparently the cop that arrested Christopher didn't read him his Miranda Rights." _Burt sighed. _"So that means that he gets to go free."_

"That means Finn's in danger, that's what it means!" Kurt shouted. "Dad, we have to do something. We have to warn and tell Finn! This is really serious."

"_Kurt, we can't just warn Finn…he'll freak out."_ Burt instructed. _"Finn says he's fine, but I know that he's not. He was a bit hesitant in answering how he was feeling." _

"So we're supposed to leave Finn in the dark?" Kurt leaned against the wall of the loft, staring into the phone. "We can't do that. What if Christopher comes to New York and tries to hurt Finn here? Finn thinks Christopher is in jail! What if he sees Christopher and then freaks out? The cops in New York are different from Lima. They'll arrest Christopher _and_ Finn."

"_I know, I know._" Burt spoke to stop Kurt and his rambling. "_But just for now until we can figure out what to do, we need to keep Finn in the dark. This isn't like when I revealed I had cancer and Finn took it fine. Finn only took it fine because it wasn't happening directly to him. This is something happening directly to him." _

"I know…but dad…I've never lied to Finn like this before." Kurt thought about his brother while letting out a sigh. "I don't want to hurt him. He'll be really mad."

"_I told Finn myself that sometimes it's best if there's things he doesn't know. This is just until I figure out what to do. Please, Kurt…_" Kurt heard the urgency in his father's voice. He let out a sigh, nodding his head while holding the phone.

"I'll do it. I'll keep it a secret."

* * *

"I'm just so confused…" Kurt sat in a coffee shop an hour later, staring at Carole who was sipping on a cup of coffee herself. "I mean, on one hand Finn has the right to know yet…I'm afraid that Christopher is going to do something drastic. It took a while for the bruise on Finn's face to go away, with the aid of makeup from Rachel. Seriously, Carole what am I going to do? Finn's my brother. I don't want to lie to him. He already can't trust his own birth father; I don't want him to hate me next." Carole listened intently to Kurt, nodding her head slowly.

"Kurt…honey." Carole put a hand on Kurt's shoulder, giving a small smile to him. "I don't think I'm the right person to ask about what to do about this? I mean, if you remembered I was the one that started this whole mess. I didn't tell Finn the truth about his father and see how that turned out."

"So you think I should tell him?" Kurt stared attentively at his stepmother. "You think I should be the one to bruise his heart and tell him the truth about his father?"

"I didn't say that, Kurt." Carole said. "I'm just saying...this is a difficult decision…and I can see why it's tearing you apart. Finn's your brother and you're just looking out for him. However, Burt said that everything's going to be fine. I promise you, things will work out for themselves."

"And what if they don't? What if Finn is held up in a bank or supermarket or somewhere because of Christopher? I thought of every possibility in my mind about this." Kurt's eyes broadened.

"Honey, you're worrying too much. I mean, it's not like Christopher knows where Finn lives. If that's the case then you better buy some extra locks." Carole shrugged. "Kurt, I know you love your brother but you have to do what Burt said for now. Finn has a lot of stress on his plate; we don't want to add to it." Kurt considered Carole's words, finally relenting.

"All right, all right. I'll…I'll keep it a secret for now." Kurt put his finger up. "But if something happens that's beyond our control, I'm telling Finn."

"All right, sounds fair enough." Carole agreed, patting Kurt's hand. "So how is Finn doing really? He tells me he's fine but…I don't know."

"He's all right, I think. I…" Kurt shrugged his shoulders. "He's taking on too many things at once on purpose. He's trying to bury the pain by distracting himself. Work, school, running a Glee Club is a lot for someone like Finn. He's not used to doing so much at the same time. All he had to worry about at school was football and Glee club. It's different now."

"College is a new experience for Finn…but I agree. I think the fact his father is still alive is really bothering him, so he's distracting himself." Carole took out her phone, seeing that Finn was calling. Carole put a finger up to signal for Kurt to hold a thought for a moment as she picked up her cell phone. "Hi baby. Is everything okay?" As Carole spoke with Finn, Kurt was getting a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knew something was going to happen to Finn if Christopher ever found him…he was just worried that he was going to say something too late.

* * *

Rupert had just finished his final audition and he was getting ready to close shop for the day. He needed to find someone that was Fanny Brice for Funny Girl. He needed someone who was polished, talented, had some experience in the theatre. He heard the door open, causing him to look up and spot Finn entering the auditorium. Rupert let out a groan, staring at Finn.

"Sorry, but I'm not casting for Nick Arnstein." Rupert told Finn. Finn shook his head, still looking at the casting director.

"No, no I'm not here to audition for any role." Finn explained. Rupert immediately recognized Finn, pointing to him with a nod.

"I remember you. You're the waiter at the diner who was playing the drums with the utensils." Rupert said.

"Yep, that's me." Finn looked down, then back at Rupert. "But just so we're on a name basis and I'm not known as that waiter, I'm Finn Hudson."

"All right Finn Hudson." Rupert raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you about one of the people that auditioned for Fanny Brice." Finn felt a smile creep on his face as he thought about Rachel. "Her name was Rachel Berry. She was the server that sang to you at the diner. Look, I know you think she's green and she doesn't have enough experience, but she's is superbly talented. She has drive, she has heart and she _is_ a star. I've known her ever since we were in High School…I knew she was made for this…even when she was in Ohio. She made me sit through _Funny Girl_ over one hundred times, and I paid attention for like ninety-eight of those. Watching that movie made me realize that…Rachel is born to be in _Funny Girl_. She's incredible, she's amazing…and even though she doesn't have the experience, she will bust her ass in order to be ready for Opening Night, no matter what. When she's not trying to prove something…she's very remarkable. Well…I said my piece." Finn nodded his head as he made his way towards the door. "Thank you for your time Mr. Campion." Finn walked out of the auditorium, hoping that he was able to convince Rupert into at least giving Rachel a callback. In Finn's mind, there was no one that deserved this role more than Rachel did, and he knew that she would seriously propel that show into complete stardom.

* * *

It was almost the end of Rachel's shift at the diner, and she was currently pouring ketchup into some of the bottles for the morning hours. Rachel focused on each bottle, putting the ketchup in with perfect precision. Rachel didn't have to look up from her work to know that Finn sat down in front of her, gazing right at her. Rachel put down the ketchup bottle, looking up to see Finn's chocolate brown eyes staring right at her. Even after all the crap she had gone through with her audition…Finn was still right there to make everything better. He had been ever since she started obsessing over the role.

"Hey." Finn smiled at her, Rachel still gazing at him. "You okay, babe?" Rachel nodded her head slowly to Finn's question, still smiling at him.

"I am now." Rachel grabbed Finn's hand, her eye contact not faltering. "I still have to fill all of these ketchup bottles, so you can go ahead if you'd like…and by me suggesting…I'm _telling _you to go. You have to sleep."

"I'm fine." Finn said. "I could just take another one of those five-hour energy drinks."

"Please don't." Rachel and Finn both laughed slightly as Rachel took a deep breath. "I don't need Santana to try to claw your eyes out again. I don't think I can hold her by myself."

"All right, all right." Finn put his hand up in mock defeat, his smile still on his face. "Are you sure you don't want me to wait? I don't mind."

"I'm sure." Rachel nodded her head. "Besides, with no school on a Saturday, you can finally get some rest. Go home. I'll be there soon. Okay?" Finn relented as Rachel leaned in and kissed him softly. Rachel and Finn parted, smiling at one another and Finn quickly pressed another kiss to Rachel's lips. Rachel giggled against his lips as he parted once more, nuzzling her nose with his.

"I love you." Finn said.

"I love you too, Finn." Rachel saw Finn getting up from his seat and making his way out of the diner. Finn turned around and blew Rachel a kiss, Rachel pretending to catch it and placing it on her cheek. Finn smiled as he made his way out of the diner, but as soon as Finn left, Rachel found her smile faltering and her mood dampening. She really was bummed about her audition…she thought she was good…but she figured that just being good…wasn't good enough.

_{Rachel walks to the stage that's in the diner and she looks to what she thinks is an empty diner. She puts a hand on her 'Finn' necklace and continues to stare at the empty diner, feeling emotional about how her audition didn't go to plan, and how she wasn't good enough for the role}_

_[Rachel]  
Being good isn't good enough  
Being good won't be good enough  
When I fly, I must fly extra high  
And I'll need special wings, so far to go  
From so far below_

_Should I try?  
Am I strong enough  
If there's time, have I longed enough  
Gotta fly, and if I fall  
That's the way it's gotta be  
There's no other way for me  
Being good just won't be good enough  
I'll be the best, or nothing at all_

_I'll try  
Am I strong enough  
If there's time, have I long enough  
Gotta fly and if I fall  
That's the way it's gotta be  
There's no other way for me  
Being good just won't be good enough  
I'll be the best, or nothing at all_

_{Rachel sadly walks off the stage and leaves the diner, but it reveals on the top level Rupert was watching her sing, taking Finn's advice and seeing Rachel without her guard down. It focuses on him thinking and the scene goes black}_

* * *

_**GUEST STARRING**_

_**Peter Facinelli as Rupert Campion**_

_**Demi Lovato as Dani**_

_**Dean Geyer as Brody Weston**_

_**Mike O'Malley as Burt Hummel**_

_**Remy Rosemont as Carole Hudson**_

_**SONG(S):**_

_**Somewhere (Originally from West Side Story): Performed by Rachel Berry**_

_**A Hard Day's Night (Originally by The Beatles): Performed by Rachel Berry, Kurt Hummel, Santana Lopez and Dani with Finn Hudson and Diner Staff**_

_**Being Good Isn't Good Enough (Originally from Hallelujah Baby! [Barbra Streisand Version]): Performed by Rachel Berry**_


	15. 1x15: Not The End

_**Episode Synopsis: **Rachel considers changing career paths after being highly disappointed that she wasn't called back as of yet, leaving Finn in a position to try to convince her to not give up on her dreams. Burt visits New York, leaving him and Kurt to think about how to tell Finn the truth about his father, while they worry about how Finn's increased workload will affect his health_

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I do not own Glee but I wish I did._

**_Renewal News: _**_This has to be the first story that has gotten to over 100 reviews with less than 20 chapters. I really am glad that you guys like the story, and since you like it so much, I will write a Season 2 of** Glee: The New York Story**! Maybe more people join our four friends in New York, who knows. But once again, thank you all so much for the favorites, the follows, the reviews. It means a lot to me. So here's the newest episode of** Glee: The New York Story!**_

* * *

"I don't see what the problem is Rupert. Why are you mulling over who to cast as Fanny Brice?" Rupert took a cup of coffee from one of the secretaries, turning his head back to his boss Lisa Calpone. She was the one who hired him to be the casting director of the _Funny Girl_ musical—the only issue was she wasn't pleased that he was taking so long to get back to her about who should be Fanny. He usually made his decisions quick and easy, but this one had him in a tough spot.

"Well, it's hard to cast when there are so many deserving actresses for the role." To be honest, Rupert continued to think about Rachel Berry for the role. He knew that Rachel wasn't experienced and she was young, but there was something about her that captivated him. Also, after taking advice from Finn, he watched her sing her heart out, and that was when he experienced emotion towards her singing. He was wary about her performance for her audition but when she was alone, she really brought it. The issue was, she wasn't going to be alone. She was going to be singing in front of thousands of people. "I mean there are a couple of people that I have my eye on."

"Well then Rupert, you better find someone fast. Have callbacks, I don't care. I need your ten finalists for Fanny Brice by the end of the week. Then we'll have the final casting and then…we shall cast her." Lisa started walking out of the office with a grin. "And find someone who I can believe is Fanny. I need someone who has the heart and guts and soul to be her. Someone who would bust their butt every single day until Opening Night. Find me that someone…and our show will be a success." Lisa left the office while Rupert sat there thinking…he kept thinking about what Finn had told him, how Rachel would work hard...he wasn't sure about Rachel though. He wasn't sure if Rachel was…the _one_.

* * *

"Well, that's it." Rachel looked at her phone while sitting on the couch with Kurt and Santana in the loft. "There's no way that I'm even considered for the part. They would have said something by now."

"Rachel, I think that you're just rushing the process, that's all…" Kurt handed Rachel the bowl of popcorn. "I'm sure they're still considering you. You're amazing, you're talented…you're so many things."

"Yeah, Finn keeps telling me that." Rachel rolled her eyes, putting popcorn in her mouth.

"So you don't believe what Finn says?" Santana questioned. "Because you seemed to believed him that you were hot when you two were screwing the other night."

"_Santana!_" Kurt exclaimed while Rachel covered her face with her hands. "I'm beginning to question if you actually stand in front of the door, listening in when—"

"Kurt, yeah…not helping." Rachel looked up, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Back to my original problem…I think Finn's a little biased."

"You think Finn's biased?" Santana chuckled. "That's a new one."

"No, I think he is. I mean, I think he just tells me these things because he knows that I feel better about myself…that and he's infatuated with me." Rachel shrugged her shoulders, staring at Kurt. "I'm just worried that he's just saying it just to say it."

"Rachel Berry, Finn is your biggest fan!" Kurt exclaimed. "He says those things because they are true. Sure Finn can be biased sometimes but in the end he only says things like that because he loves you. And every word he says, he means. He's a man of his word." Rachel smiled as Kurt spoke fondly of his brother, engulfing Kurt into a hug.

"This is why you're my best friend." Rachel grinned at Kurt who reciprocated Rachel's hug.

"I know." Kurt and Rachel gazed at each other. The door of the loft opened with Finn rushing in and heading towards the living room. Kurt and Rachel looked at Finn while Santana kept her eyes on the remote.

"Finn, if you change the channel, then I will seriously put firecrackers in your bed and light them up in your sleep." Finn ignored Santana's comment, hushing her and changing the channel.

"Finn, what are you doing? We were watching _Project Runway_." Kurt shook his head towards his brother, Finn sitting in between Kurt and Rachel.

"So you know how I've been really busy lately?" Finn asked them, noticing that they just blankly staring at him. "Well, I added one extra thing to my resume…I was booked for a commercial."

"Finn? You're in a commercial?" Kurt continued to stare at Finn. "For what exactly?"

"_Victoria Secret_ has a new men's underwear line." Finn leaned back on the couch, Rachel and Kurt staring at one another. "I figured why not embark on the journey of being one of the sexiest guys alive. Besides, it helped that you got me that one day modeling gig with Isabelle, Kurt. They saw the pictures and thought that I had a 'sexy' vibe going on."

"Why did you choose to do an underwear commercial?" Rachel pondered, looking into Finn's eyes.

"I thought it would be fun and what's a better way than to get some extra money." Finn answered.

"Finn, you do realize that underwear modeling for _Victoria's Secret _for _any_ sex is kind of like soft porn, right?" Santana shrugged her shoulders feeling amused. "I mean, seeing all those dudes in their underwear—only one article of clothing between the world and their naughty bits. You must have been pretty aroused, weren't you Finn." Finn's eyes widened at Santana's teasing, Kurt focusing on the television.

"You don't have to answer that, Finn." Kurt ended Santana's conversation as they turned to the screen. "Ah, here it is. Finn's cinematic debut." Rachel, Kurt, Finn and Santana sat there watching the commercial and for the next thirty seconds, the commercial was in black and white, the girls and guys modeling the new fall collection of underwear.

* * *

_{An elegant living room pops up on the screen in black and white but there's a gigantic runway in the middle of the living room as the underwear models walk down the runway. The camera pans on Finn walking down in Victoria Secret luxury men's boxers as the girl models in their bras and underwear bite their lips seductively. Next scene shows Finn sitting on a couch with the models all around him as he stares into the camera.}_

"_Victoria Secret's new male underwear collections…come and get them…before your girlfriend makes sure they're gone." Finn let out a wink to emphasize the last part of the sentence as the girl models surrounded him, giving him flirtatious laughs._

* * *

Rachel, Kurt and Santana stared at the televisions, their mouths slightly open at the commercial they just witnessed. Finn smiled proudly at the thirty- second commercial, grabbing the remote and turning off the T.V. He looked to each of them, wanting to know what they thought of the commercial.

"So what did you think?" Finn wondered. "Was it sexy enough or was it under sexy?"

"Hot damn…" Kurt continued to look at the T.V.

"I'm pretty sure I'm a lesbian but that commercial made me feel something in my lady loins." Santana added.

"I think I'm pretty turned on right now." Rachel concluded, staring at her fiancé who only wiggled his eyebrows in return.

"Well, I gots to say, I'm very proud of you Frankenteen." Santana clapped her hands softly, looking at Finn. "Who knew that you had the balls to sell your body to _Victoria's Secret_? All that sexual tension in the room is hot enough to carry a hot air balloon. But of course you weren't the best part."

"You're talking about the female models, aren't you Santana?" Kurt chuckled while Rachel and Finn shook their heads with amused smiles.

"Maybe I am. Who knows…?" Santana shrugged her shoulders, a coy smile tugging her lips.

"Well…I don't think I want to watch _Project Runway_ on T.V. anymore." Rachel got up from the sofa, pulling Finn with her. "Come on, Mr. Supermodel. Let's see if _Victoria Secret_ male underwear is really worth all the hub-bub." Finn released a goofy grin, picking Rachel up and leading her to her room while she let out a squeal of delight. Santana's face twisted into disgust, while Kurt thought that this was the perfect time to get something off his chest.

"Well…while Finn is busy showing Rachel his underwear…" Kurt slid over, his face turning serious. "I need some advice."

"You need advice, Lady Hummel?" Santana leaned back against the sofa, grinning at Kurt. "Well, whatever could it be for?"

"It has to do with Finn…and it has nothing to do with the commercial that I just saw." Kurt emphasized while Santana became serious. "I got a call from my dad the other day about Finn's real father…his father is out of prison."

"What? How did they let that psycho out of jail? Last time I checked, Finn's eye was like insanely purple." Santana protested.

"I know, and keep your voice down." Kurt hushed. "I don't want Finn to hear you."

"With Rachel all in Finn's ear, I think Finn hearing us is the least of your worries." Santana believed. "Look, back to the matter at hand, how could they let that psycho out in the streets?"

"When you're arrested, they have to read you your Miranda Rights." Kurt explained. "The cops that arrested Finn's dad forgot to read him his Miranda Rights, meaning he's free to roam. My dad and Carole said to keep this concealed but for how long? Finn is going to be insanely heartbroken when he finds out about this."

"Kurt, I'm sorry but I think you should tell him." Santana shook her head, looking at her friend. "I don't want to sound like the bad guy, but Finn needs to know the truth. I mean, what if Christopher shows up? I'll go all Lima Heights on him, sure but still—Finn can't be in this bubble, thinking everything is fine when in reality, things aren't…what if Christopher shows up at Finn's school or at work. I mean, that would really, really be something undesired."

"So you think I should tell him?" Kurt wondered, raising an eyebrow at Santana.

"Yes, I think that you should tell him." Santana truthfully said. "The last thing I want to see is Finn getting hurt by his father…" Kurt took Santana's words seriously, but he still worried about how Finn would take it. The last thing he wanted to see was Finn's mood damper, especially after he was slowly gaining some happiness in his life. Kurt had a lot to think about—and he had a feeling it wasn't going to be pretty.

* * *

Late that night, Finn held onto Rachel, resting his chin on her shoulder as she looked him in the eyes, giving him her own goofy grin. Rachel didn't know what it was, but being with Finn alone was one of the most magical things in her entire life—it might have helped that she had seen his _Victoria Secret_ commercial over and over in order to get those butterflies in her stomach. Rachel grinned at her fiancé, pressing a kiss on his cheek as he smiled at her.

"God, Finn…" Rachel leaned into Finn, just unbelieving how much she loved him. "I don't know what it was, but…that…_that_ was amazing."

"I know, you kept saying it was amazing." Finn cheekily said. "I think it had to do with the awesome commercial I was in."

"Possibly." Rachel shrugged her shoulders, Finn snuggling with her. "Why didn't you tell me about the commercial? I wanted to know about it."

"I wanted to surprise you…besides; didn't you think it was really sexy?" Rachel used one of her free hands to run a hand through Finn's hair.

"I did think it was very sexy." Rachel agreed. "It kind of made me just want your body."

"Kind of?" Finn chuckled. "Please, you know you wanted this body." Rachel giggled at Finn's joking, feeling nice to just forget her botched audition. Finn noticed Rachel's smile faltering for a moment, wondering if she was okay. "Rach, are you okay?"

"What? Yeah, I'm fine." Finn raised an eyebrow, not believing her words. Rachel sighed, feeling saddened. "I was just wondering about my audition. I think I tanked it, big time. I mean they haven't called me back and this was something that I really, really wanted. I've never felt so upset about something; I'm even more upset than when I thought I didn't get into NYADA." Finn heard Rachel's voice breaking, immediately holding her close and pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

"Please don't cry, Rachel." Finn soothingly said. "I know this was something you wanted and I know you're heartbroken because you think you didn't do well…but not getting the role isn't the end of the world."

"But it feels like it is…" Rachel softly added, letting a few tears fall from her face. Finn pressed a kiss into her hair, taking in the scent of what he believed to be strawberry shampoo.

"I know, baby…I know." Finn whispered. He slowly made Rachel look at him, making sure the blanket didn't come off in the process. Rachel stared at Finn, trying her hardest not to continue to cry. "I know this was something you wanted, but you never know…don't they usually have callbacks before they assign the role to someone?"

"If I did get at least a callback, they would have called me by now." Rachel honestly said, Finn using his thumb to wipe the tears from Rachel's eyes. "I'm sorry…." Rachel shook her head, Finn looking slightly jumbled.

"Why are you sorry?" Finn peacefully spoke. "There's no need for you to be sorry."

"Yes there is." Rachel nodded her head. "We were having such a lovely evening and I wrecked it with my doom and gloom."

"You didn't wreck anything." Finn assured her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I just wanted to know if you were okay. I just want you to know that the world isn't going to end just because of one role. But last time I remembered, you are Rachel Berry and the Rachel I know would still fight for what she wanted."

"She would…" Rachel shrugged while Finn's smile reappeared. "She would."

"Yes she would." Finn kissed Rachel, moving his hands from her face to her arms as Rachel wrapped her arms around his neck. Finn and Rachel parted, looking into each other's eyes, Rachel's smile returning. "There's my beautiful fiancée's smile…" Finn fondly said. Finn pressed another kiss to her face, giving her a tired but content look. "Get some sleep, okay? We have class and work tomorrow."

"All right." Rachel snuggled with Finn, seeing he was staring down at her. "I love you, Finn…"

"I love you too, Rachel. I'll love you forever." Finn whispered, capturing her in one last kiss before feeling sleep come over him. Finn fell asleep about twenty minutes later, but Rachel was still wide awake. She continued to think about her botched audition, feeling saddened, even though she was in Finn's arms. She was in a position where she didn't think anything was going to make her feel better, not even Finn's love.

_{Scene changes to Kurt's room as he stares outside the window, thinking about whether or not he should keep the fact Finn's father is out of jail from Finn}_

_[Kurt]  
Lightning strikes  
Inside my chest to keep me up at night  
Dream of ways  
To make you understand my pain_

_[Kurt with Rachel]  
Clouds of sulfur in the air  
Bombs are falling everywhere  
It's heartbreak warfare  
Once you want it to begin  
No one really ever wins  
It's heartbreak warfare_

_If you want more love, why don't you say so  
If you want more love, why don't you say so_

_{Scene changes to Rachel sitting on the loft couch in her robe, still thinking about her audition as she wipes her tears from her face}_

_[Rachel with Kurt]  
Drop his name  
Push it in and twist the knife again  
Watch my face  
As I pretend to feel no pain, pain, pain_

_Clouds of sulfur in the air  
Bombs are falling everywhere  
It's heartbreak warfare  
Once you want it to begin  
No one really ever wins  
It's heartbreak warfare_

_If you want more love, why don't you say so  
If you want more love, why don't you say so_

_Just say so_

_{Scene changes to Kurt sitting on the bed, looking at the phone with a saddened expression}_

_[Kurt]  
How come the only way to know how high you get me  
Is to see how far I fall?  
God only knows how much I love you I you let me  
But I can't break through it all_

_[Kurt and Rachel]  
It's a heart…heartbreak_

_{Scene changes to Rachel watching Funny Girl on T.V. and feeling saddened as she stares at Barbra Streisand on T.V. playing Fanny}_

_[Rachel and Kurt]  
I don't care if we don't sleep at all  
Let's just fix this whole thing now  
I swear to god we're gonna get it right  
If you lay your weapon down_

_Red wine and ambient  
You're talking stuff again  
It's heartbreak warfare  
Good to know it's all a game  
Disappointment has a name  
It's heartbreak  
Heartbreak_

_It's heartbreak warfare  
It's heartbreak warfare  
It's heartbreak warfare_

_{Rachel sits there and she thinks for a moment, while holding her blanket close to her}_

* * *

The next morning, Kurt was sipping on his chai tea, reading the newspaper when he heard a knock on the loft door. Kurt eyed Santana who was busy putting mascara on her eyelashes, and to Rachel who was busy reading sheet music. Kurt figured that he was going to have to be the one to get the door, getting up from the chair and making his way to the front of the loft.

"Let's not all get up at once to get the door." Kurt sarcastically hinted to Rachel and Santana who were still in their own little world. Kurt opened the door to the loft, seeing—his father, Burt! "Dad!" Kurt hugged his father tightly, Burt releasing a smile.

"Hey, how are you?" Burt looked to his son. "How have you been?"

"Oh, we're just great." Kurt said, looking over to Santana and Rachel who were getting up from their seats. "I was going to work on designs all day at the loft and Santana's going to be here."

"That's great." Burt nodded his head, looking out around the loft. "Hey Kurt, is Finn here? I came to check on him."

"Oh, yeah Finn's in his room getting ready for school." Kurt answered, shrugging his shoulders. "Are you going to spend the day with him?"

"Just to make sure Finn's completely okay." Burt said.

"Oh, Finn's gone insane." Santana shook her head, crossing her arms and looking towards Burt. "He recently did a commercial for underwear and we're not talking about the tighty-whities. We're talking about boxers where it was clearly obvious what kind of package he had."

"Santana…that's enough." Rachel stopped Santana from saying anything else. "Anyway, you wanted to see Finn, Burt?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to make sure he's fine." Burt assured Rachel. "I mean, how has he been since he came back?"

"He's been extremely busy." Kurt admitted. "I mean, he's been busy. He has work, school, the Glee Club, booking commercials, comforting Rachel."

"Wait, what's wrong with Rachel?" Burt turned his head to Rachel, seeing she was puffing out air.

"Do you want to know what I found out?" Rachel shook her head.

"That Finn's a boxer guy?" Burt questioned.

"No, I mean…I had a terrible audition for the play _Funny Girl_ and there is no way that they're going to want me for a callback. Broadway was all I really wanted to do; _Funny Girl_ was what I really wanted to do." Rachel looked down to her arms that were crossed in front of her chest, gazing down at the engagement ring on her finger. "I'm beginning to think in order to be a good wife for Finn; I'm going to have to think of a more realistic career."

"Wait…what are you saying?" Kurt and Santana raised an eyebrow to Rachel, seeing that she was having trouble answering Kurt's question.

"I'm saying that…I'm saying that I'm going to have to give up my Broadway dream." Rachel's answer left the room quiet in shock. Kurt and Santana didn't know what to say, but they had to stay quiet since Finn entered the room.

"Hey, Kurt I was wondering if I could borrow your sheet music for…" Finn looked up from his phone, seeing Burt standing before him. "Dad, wow! Hi!" Finn walked over to Burt, engulfing him in a man-hug.

"_Dad_ is not going to ever get old." Burt smiled, looking at Finn after he parted from the hug. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing well." Finn nodded his head, letting out a smile. "I'm great, I'm awesome. I was just going to go to class now. I also needed to borrow some sheet music for the Glee Club this afternoon and then I have to pull a night shift tonight at the diner."

"That's a lot of things going on, are you sure you're okay?" Burt wondered.

"Yeah, it's fine." Finn waved his hand. He stared at his phone, focusing his attention to Rachel. "Hey Rach, we might want to get a move on."

"All right." Rachel picked up her sheet music from the table and went to get her backpack. She walked over to Finn, but Burt continued to stare at Finn with a hint of worry in his eyes.

"Finn, did you eat or drink anything this morning?" Burt didn't lose eye contact with Finn, noticing he was meekly looking back at him.

"I'll eat at school. I promise." Finn patted Burt's back, motioning for Rachel to follow. "We'll see you later." Finn smiled, walking out of the loft with Rachel in tow. Burt saw Finn and Rachel heading down the stairs, turning back over to Kurt and Santana.

"I'm worried about him." Burt muttered. "Something's wrong."

"You think he's not eating because of Christopher?" Kurt pondered. "I don't know…"

"I mean the workload." Burt clarified. "He's doing so many things at once. What if he collapses due to starvation or stress? Oh god…" Burt sat down in one of the chairs that were nearby, Santana going to the kitchen to get Burt some water.

"Dad, if you think Finn is putting himself through harm by just adding distractions, then you need to talk to him." Kurt sighed. "I mean, Finn will understand."

"I just don't want to lose him, Kurt." Burt sighed. "This could deplete his mental health, and I think he's kind of using Rachel's problem to his benefit. He got a job around the same time she did because he wanted to support her. He's burying himself into work so that he'll be numb."

"But dad, think about it…" Kurt put a hand on Burt's shoulder. "Would you rather Finn is burying himself in work or that he does something that will harm himself, like drugs and alcohol?"

"When you put it that way, you're right." Burt said, nodding his head. "You're right. But he's not doing all this work because he wants to. He's doing it to keep himself busy…Kurt, do you know Finn's NYADA schedule?"

"Yeah, why?" Kurt asked.

"I'm going to visit Finn at lunch." Burt explained. "He needs a father-son talk about his actual father."

* * *

Finn walked along the hallways of NYADA, going outside so that he could get some fresh air for lunch. It was one of the few breaks in his day, and he was hoping he could spend some time with Rachel. Finn entered the dance studio, seeing Rachel tuning a piano. He walked over to her, gripping his bag tighter to him.

"Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to go and grab some lunch." Finn said.

"I can't." Rachel plainly said, hitting some keys on the piano. "Madame Tibideaux was looking for some volunteers to tune the pianos and I figured why not. Maybe I could make a career out of this."

"You want to be a piano tuner?" Finn sat down in the seat next to her, pressing a couple keys on the piano. Rachel looked, seeing Finn playing a small song on the piano, looking in awe at the beautiful music he was making. "What happened to your dreams on Broadway?"

"I realized that I want to be on Broadway, I do…" Rachel said, still looking at her fiancé. "It's just I don't think I'm ready for the whole rejection thing…"

"What rejection?" Finn continued to play the piano, still looking at Rachel. "We all face rejection in our lives. Sometimes it's more severe than just not getting a part in a play."

"What do you mean by that?" Rachel shrugged her shoulders, not understanding what Finn was saying.

"Well…" Finn pressed a few more keys as he started to play a slow version of 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart'. "Rejection is just different. There are some people that are rejected by a crush, some people are rejected by their family members…I'm going through rejection by my birth father right now…I only just found out that he's an angry, bitter, loser…and…it breaks my heart you know…I thought I was loveable…but I guess not everyone sees it that way."

"Whoever doesn't want you is stupid…" Rachel told him. "They don't get to see your beautiful heart." Finn chuckled at Rachel's words, causing her to raise an eyebrow. "What?"

"It's so easy to give me advice, isn't it?" Finn shrugged his shoulders, the smile still tugging on his lips. "I think that you should listen to your own advice. I know that being Fanny Brice was your dreams but…plans change, Rachel. Plans change and people can change too. You just need to find a new role that you want if you don't get Fanny. I'm not saying you won't but…you never know, Broadway is a dog eat dog business. You have to do everything…" Finn played some complex notes on the piano before playing the piano normally again. "…with heart. You have to do everything with a strong heart. If someone says no, you shake it off and you try something else. There's nothing wrong with that." Rachel continued to listen to Finn's words, realizing that he may have been right. "Hey, I know what will make you feel better, how about we sing together?"

"What happened to eating?" Rachel chuckled towards Finn.

"I'll eat later, don't worry." Finn nonchalantly said, still playing the piano. "I know that singing makes you feel better no matter what mood you're in. And I know just the song that you want to sing…we sang this song our sophomore year of High School. You told me afterward that you didn't think you were very nice, that you're only in things if it has to do with you…well, you've changed a lot since then. You love everyone and everything around you, and every time I think I can't love you much more…_boom_. You make me love you even more than I loved you before that moment. So Rachel Berry…will you do me the honor…and sing with me?" Rachel patted Finn's shoulder, nodding her head to him. Finn changed tempo of the song, playing it properly. Rachel smiled at him while the other members of NYADA started staring at Finn and Rachel.

_{Finn plays the piano as Rachel stares at him with a smile, Rachel wrapping her arms around Finn's neck from behind him]_

_[Finn]  
Oh, don't go breaking my heart_

_[Rachel]  
I couldn't if I tried_

_[Finn]  
Oh honey, if I get restless_

_[Rachel]  
Baby you're not that kind_

_{Someone else plays the piano as Finn gets up from the piano, grabbing Rachel's hand and them dancing around the room}_

_[Finn]  
Oh, don't go breaking my heart_

_[Rachel]  
You take the weight off of me_

_[Finn]  
Oh, honey when you knock on my door_

_[Rachel]  
Oooh I gave you my key_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
Ooooooooh!  
Nobody knows it_

_[Finn]  
But when I was down_

_[Rachel]  
I was your clown_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
Ooooooooh!  
Nobody knows it_

_[Finn]  
Right from the start_

_[Rachel]  
I gave you my heart  
Ooooooooh!  
I gave you my heart_

_[Finn]  
So don't go breaking my heart_

_[Rachel]  
I won't go breaking your heart_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
Don't go breaking my heart_

_{Rachel gets on one of the piano's and stares right at Finn as she hops on each piano. Finn follows her, trying to catch up to her with a smile}_

_[Finn]  
And nobody told us_

_[Rachel]  
Cause nobody showed us_

_[Finn]  
And now it's up to us babe_

_[Rachel]  
Oh I think we can make it_

_[Finn]  
So don't misunderstand me_

_[Rachel]  
You put the light in my life_

_[Finn]  
You put the spark to the flame_

_[Rachel]  
I got your heart in my sights_

_{Finn gets on the piano as Rachel jumps on that one, Finn grabbing her by the waist and twirling her around as Rachel smiles}_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
Ooooooooh!  
Nobody knows it_

_[Finn]  
But when I was down_

_[Rachel]  
I was your clown_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
Ooooooooh!  
Nobody knows it_

_[Finn]  
Right from the start_

_[Rachel]  
I gave you my heart_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
Ooooooooh!_

_[Rachel]  
I gave you my heart_

_[Finn]  
So don't go breaking my heart_

_[Rachel]  
I won't go breaking your heart_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
Don't go breaking my heart  
Ooooooooh!_

_[Rachel]  
I gave you my heart_

_{Finn and Rachel jump down from the piano and they continue dancing, staring into each other's eyes and the other NYADA students watch}_

_[Finn]  
Don't go breaking my heart_

_[Rachel]  
I won't go breaking your heart_

_[Finn]  
Don't go breaking my_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
Don't go breaking my  
I won't go breaking your heart_

_[Rachel]  
Don't go breaking my_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
Don't go breaking my heart_

_[Rachel]  
I won't go breaking your heart_

_[Finn]  
Don't go breaking my heart_

_[Rachel]  
Don't go breaking my  
I won't go breaking your heart_

_[Finn]  
Don't go breaking my_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
Don't go breaking my heart  
Ooooooooh! Yeah!_

Rachel jumped into Finn's arms as he spun her around, pressing a light kiss in her hair. She wasn't sure what caused herself to throw herself right into Finn, in public especially, but she didn't care. As Rachel and Finn hugged in the dance studio, they didn't notice Rupert Campion standing by the doorway. He had seen the entire performance, slowly walking away after doing his research on Finn and Rachel.

* * *

"All right, so how are we going to tell him about it?" Kurt asked his father as they sat in the NYADA courtyard. "We have to tell him in a way that it's not going to make a scene."

"I'm still working on that." Burt tapped his chin, still sighing. "Unfortunately, every scenario I could possibly think of involved Finn kicking something. I haven't thought of one scenario where he sits there and acknowledges the facts."

"We'll think of something." Kurt assured his father. As they spoke, Finn headed outside of one of the NYADA buildings, holding his book bag close to him and his work clothes in a plastic bag. Finn turned his head to spot his father and Kurt standing there, becoming interested in why they were in Finn's neck of the woods. Finn walked slowly over to them, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" Finn questioned, still holding his work clothes close.

"Finn, do you have a minute to talk?" Burt asked.

"I wish I did, but I don't." Finn sighed. "Gunter called and asked me to do a double shift today, so I was on my way there. Can we talk…oh darn it, there's no way…I have class in the morning. Um, I can call you during my lunch break. Does that sound good?"

"Finn, this is serious." Kurt sighed.

"My job is also serious." Finn argued back. "Look, I'll talk to you guys later." Finn made his way to work while Kurt and Burt let out tired sighs. Telling Finn was _not _going to be easy, that was for sure.

* * *

Finn continued to wipe the cups for the dinner shift as Rachel entered the diner in her server uniform, her hair in a half ponytail and her bangs messy but stylish. Finn gave Rachel a goofy grin, noting how beautiful she looked. Rachel was just amazing; she was everything that Finn could ever hope for. As Finn continued to wipe down the counter, Rachel noticed Finn's smile, reciprocating it as she made her way over to him.

"Hey, still wiping down the cups?" Rachel sat in the seat across from him, grabbing a cup and towel. She wiped a cup while Finn continued to stare at her, still baffled by how amazing she was.

"You look like you're in a better mood, I think…" Finn shrugged his shoulders, not sure what to make of it. "Anyway, did you hear back from the directors yet?"

"Nope, and I know I'm not going to." Rachel shook her head, keeping her eyes on the cup. "Finn, I had one chance and I blew it. I blew my chance to be on Broadway. He didn't feel anything during my original audition and most definitely not during my show tune number."

"Rachel, what did I tell you about rejection?" Finn seriously told her, looking in her eyes. "I told you that it's going to happen. It happens to the best of us. I know that you're going to come out stronger from this."

"You know what?" Rachel stared at Finn, her expression matching his. "You're right. It's just that all this time, I kept telling myself that being a part of something special made you special…but all this time, it turns out that I am special! I don't need anyone to tell me I'm not. I know that I'm special and if they don't like it then screw them!" Finn stared at Rachel, nodding his head towards her, patting her hand.

"And you know what babe? You're exactly right." Finn leaned closer towards Rachel, seeing that she was smiling at him. Rachel put her hands on Finn's cheeks but her smile disappeared, feeling his cheeks—and then his forehead.

"Finn, are you feeling okay?" Rachel touched Finn's forehead, becoming worried about him. "You feel a little clammy."

"No, I'm fine. Don't worry." Finn assured her, but Finn had to admit that he did feel a little different than normal. What could it have been? "I'm just a little tired. Gunter has me doing a double shift tonight, so I'll be here all night."

"Why are you doing a double shift?" Rachel pondered, staring into Finn's eyes. "I'm going to go talk to Gunter about this."

"Rachel, no. It's okay." Finn said. "I was the one that asked for the double shift. I needed to do some extra work, you know…"

"Finn, I just don't know if all of this is healthy." Rachel really was concerned. "I mean, you're doing _a lot _of things. I'm just afraid that something is going to happen."

"Rachel, I'm fine. Okay?" Finn kissed her cheek, grabbing the clean cups on the counter and made his way to the kitchen. Rachel sat on the stool, still eyeing Finn, but her worries about Finn were going to have to wait until later—because a customer decided to show up—and not just any customer: Simone. Simone took one look at Rachel, Rachel letting out a deep breath. This was going to be awkward. Simone sat down at one of the booths, flipping open her menu while Rachel walked over to her.

"Hi…can I take your order?" Rachel plastered a smile on her face, not giving Simone any satisfaction. Simone looked up at Rachel, pointing down to the menu.

"What's the thing that you have here that has no sugar, not carbs and no fat?" Simone smirked, crossing her arms towards Rachel.

"Um, that would have to be water." Rachel tried to think of everything that had no carbs, sugar and fat—realizing water was the only thing. "Water."

"Water? Hmm…you might want to eat, drink and sleep nothing but water. You're looking kind of chunky." Simone sneered, going back to her menu. "Go and tell your cooks to get me the steak special—and don't forget to add the pink napkins. What are you standing there for? Chop, chop! Time is money!" Rachel wrote the food order down and started to make her way to the kitchen. "By the way, Rachel…I heard about your audition for _Funny Girl_ and how you tanked it…I knew you'd be a good for nothing working at a diner." Rachel wasn't sure why but the last bit of Simone's words really, really hurt. Rachel made her way inside the kitchen, but as soon as she did, she covered her face with her hands and started to cry. Finn looked up from his work, seeing Rachel was sobbing.

"Rachel, hey…what's the matter?" Finn walked over to Rachel, putting his hands on her shoulders. Rachel looked up at Finn, shaking her head with a saddened expression.

"Simone is out there…" Rachel said through her tears. "She knows about my audition! She knows I tanked it! She's knows, so that must mean everyone knows."

"Rachel, everyone doesn't know about your audition." Rachel wiped her tears, staring down at the mascara that was on her hand. "Hey, go to the bathroom and take some time to compose. I'll take Simone her order."

"Finn, I don't know…" Rachel said, shaking her head. "She's ruthless."

"And there has to be a reason why." Finn took Rachel's notepad, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Go freshen up in the bathroom. I've got Simone. Okay, babe?" Finn put a hand on Rachel's shoulders as she nodded her head, making her way to the bathroom. Finn was going to have to take out the big guns, now. No one insulted Rachel publicly and got away with it—but how was he going to defend her without losing his job? Finn turned to the corner of the kitchen, seeing his acoustic guitar then, an idea forming in his mind. He had the perfect plan—and he knew it was going to be a good one.

* * *

Rachel came out of the bathroom ten minutes later after reapplying her makeup and putting her hair into a ponytail. Rachel saw Simone in her booth, casually waiting for her order—she was also probably waiting for _Rachel_ to bring her the order so Simone could get another jab in. Simone was shocked when she saw Finn come over with her food, giving her a sardonic smile.

"There." Finn started to make his way back towards the counter when Simone snapped her fingers towards him. "Yes, Simone." Finn tiredly turned around, making his way back to her.

"What happened to Rachel? She couldn't take my honest criticism?" Simone gave Finn an innocent look, but her voice didn't match her expression.

"Rachel has been going through a lot of crap, so she doesn't need you to pile it on." Finn whispered harshly so he didn't bring attention to himself.

"Did it have to do with your crap?" Simone smirked. "I heard it all. I know that you have a father that was in jail because of a drug smuggling ring, then he punched you in the face…I can see the remnants of the bruise on your face. What I want to know is why you weren't a man to fight? You're so tough when it comes to fighting for Rachel but you're such a wuss when it comes to fighting your own battles. You're a girl in a man's body." Finn's anger grew on his face, hearing Simone outright insult him. Finn had a few words for Simone—but Rachel showed up instead.

"What's going on here?" Rachel asked, keeping her gaze on Finn. Finn backed away from Simone, walking to the counter as Simone gave Rachel a sly grin.

"I guess I can see why you're perfect for each other." Simone said. "You're both cowards." Finn looked over at Simone and Rachel, noticing the other patrons in the restaurant.

"All right!" Finn yelled loudly for everyone to stare at him. He even caused the workers that were in the kitchen to come out and see the ruckus. Kurt, Santana, Dani and Brody came out, staring at Finn who continued to look at Simone. "So Rachel tanked her audition, so what?! Anyone that said that they didn't mess up a job interview or an audition would be lying!"

"Finn's so gonna get fired for this." Kurt whispered to Santana as she stared at Finn.

"But you know what?" Finn looked right at Rachel who stared into his eyes. "It's okay. Because maybe this wasn't the right opportunity. And everyone has a job that they don't like before they get to where they want to be. Trust me, I thought I was going to be fixing cars all my life in Lima, but look where I am now. I'm here…in New York City. Sure, I'm a kitchen worker at a Broadway Diner, but at least I have stepping stones to where I want to be. But just because you get one bad audition, that doesn't mean it's over and that your dreams have to end." Finn went over to grab his guitar that was behind the counter, Rachel still gazing at him. "It's not the end, Rachel…there's going to be other opportunities. Do you want to know how sure I am? Because you are the most talented woman I've ever seen. You're going to get Broadway roles. I mean, you always wanted to play Maria in _West Side Story_. You also always wanted to play Evita and mentioned it at least a couple times a week. So you think you didn't get the role for Fanny…I understand why you're upset…but you have to brush it off because it's not the end. So…" Finn stared down at the guitar, playing a few chords. "I'm going to sing now…because apparently nothing gets through to anyone in this diner unless someone sings something so…okay." Rachel chuckled at Finn's last statement as he started to play the guitar, the band in the diner joining along with him.

_{Finn walks to Rachel while playing the guitar as she sits down on one of the stools, smiling at him as he smiles at her. While Finn sings to Rachel, Santana and Kurt notice Rupert Campion enter the diner and taking a seat in one of the booths that was out of view from Rachel, noticing that he was studying her}_

_[Finn]  
Oh, oh,  
Oh, oh,  
Oh, oh,  
Oh, oh,  
Oh, oh,  
Oh, oh,_

_The sun will still shine tomorrow  
So it's time for moving on  
There's not a second for sorrow  
Even though the moments gone  
The puzzle's has so many pieces  
That you can't, you can't hide  
Cause life just keeps on living  
And sooner or later you'll find_

_This is not the end , no  
Your day is going to come  
This is not the end, no  
You're not the only one  
We all have our ups  
And all have our downs  
But we have to find our way around  
This is not the end, no, whoa, no  
This is not the end_

_I know it's never easy  
To pick yourself up again  
Take a deep breath cause you know that  
It's time to look ahead  
With one foot in front of the other  
That you can, you can fly  
Into a better tomorrow  
And leave yesterday behind_

_This is not the end , no  
Your day is going to come  
This is not the end, no  
You're not the only one  
We all have our ups  
And all have our downs  
But we have to find our way around  
This is not the end, no, whoa, no  
This is not the end_

_Oh, oh, oh  
Don't ever give up, no  
Oh, oh, oh  
It's just the start now  
Oh, oh, oh  
Don't ever give up, no  
Oh, oh, oh  
It's just the start now!_

_This is not the end , no  
Your day is going to come  
This is not the end, no  
You're not the only one  
We all have our ups  
And all have our downs  
But we have to find our way around  
This is not the end, no, whoa, no  
This is not the end_

_Oh, oh, oh  
Don't ever give up, no  
Oh, oh, oh,  
It's just the start now  
We all have our ups  
And all have our downs  
But we have to find our way around  
This is not the end, no, whoa, no  
This is not the end_

_Oh, oh  
Oh, oh_

The patrons in the diner stood up from their seats and clapped as Rachel had a smile that she couldn't get off her face, even if she was insulted. Finn put the guitar down as Rachel got off the stool and hugged him tightly. She had to admit that she felt bad—she had possibly worried Finn even when he had his own issues to deal with. Rachel stared into Finn's eyes, running a hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry, Finn…" Rachel shook her head, but Finn still had his signature smile, simply gazing at her. "You're not frowning, why are you not frowning?"

"Because Rachel, being there for you is my job." Finn answered. "It comes with the marriage certificate."

"Which we are working on getting." Rachel whispered, placing a hand on his cheek. "Thank you. I really can't thank you enough. You are amazing and incredible." Finn grinned to her, Rachel getting out of their hug when Gunter came over.

"There's someone here to see you at table sixteen." Gunter moved along, but not before giving Finn's shoulder a slight pat. "You have promise." That was all Gunter said as he went into his office. Rachel gave Finn a confused look, wondering who was here to see her. Rachel walked to the table, spotting Rupert Campion sitting there with an emotionless expression.

"Mr. Campion, hi…" Rachel waved slightly, taking out her notepad. "What can I get you?"

"I'll take the daily special if you don't mind, thank you." Rupert nodded his head. Rachel wrote down the order and started to make her way to the counter to hand Finn the order. "Oh, Rachel…" Rachel turned around, staring at him in confusion. "You have a callback for _Funny Girl_." Rachel dropped her notepad and pencil in shock, not sure if she was processing what Rupert had just told her.

"I…what? Are you serious?" Rachel started grinning, holding her hand to her mouth. For the first time since she saw him, Rupert let out a smile.

"You have a lot of drive, Rachel…I can see that." Rupert said. "I'm looking forward to your callback. I'm sure you won't disappoint." Rachel picked up the notepad and pencil from the floor, still looking over at Rupert.

"Thank you, Mr. Campion. Thank you." Rachel tried to walk over to the table nonchalantly, but when she saw Finn, she knew she couldn't contain her excitement. Rachel grinned, hugging Finn tightly, but he was slightly confused as to what brought on her joy. Rachel looked to her friends, but then focused into Finn's eyes. "I got a callback." It took a moment for Finn, Kurt, Santana and Dani to process the information, but eventually they did. Their smiles illuminated the room and Finn hugged Rachel tightly with pride.

"You…You got a callback!" Finn laughed while hugging her tightly. Santana, Kurt and Dani went around the booth to engulf Rachel into a hug, happiness surrounding them. Finn gazed into Rachel's eyes, noticing she was crying tears of joy. "Are these happy tears?" Finn chuckled, moving some from her face. Santana took the notepad from Rachel, getting Mr. Campion's order while Finn and Rachel had a moment to themselves.

"These are happy tears." Rachel confirmed, still crying and smiling. Finn hugged Rachel once more, placing a kiss to the top of her head.

"I am so proud of you, Rachel." Finn whispered to her. Rachel gripped onto Finn, her smile widening, knowing that she had Finn's love and support. Rachel gazed up at him while backing up a bit, taking his hand in hers.

"I love you." Rachel simply said, pressing a kiss to his lips as the entire restaurant (minus Simone) started applauding them. It felt cliché and it sort of felt like the ending to a romantic comedy, but like Finn said, it wasn't the end. Not by one bit.

* * *

After the excitement died down, Finn got back to work wiping the dishes, but he was unable to focus. It had nothing to do with Rachel getting a callback; it was more or less that he was beginning to feel sluggish and tired. Finn put a hand to his forehead, wondering if he really _was_ coming down with something, Finn felt someone tap his shoulder, as he turned around to spot Brody standing there before him.

"Um, did you need the dishes?" Finn started gathering the dishes for Brody to take, but Brody stopped him for a moment, shaking his head.

"Not yet." Brody sat down in the stool next to him, folding his hands together. "You really love her, don't you?"

"Rachel?" Finn asked, wondering where Brody was getting at. He finally nodded his head, putting one of the dishes on the rack. "Yeah, I do love her. And…look, Brody…I'm sorry for everything. I realized now that, this whole being with Rachel thing…it kind of started out as me not wanting you to take her way from me. But…it's kind of thanks to you that I realized that I can't live without her."

"Yeah, I can see that." Brody emitted a slight chuckle before his face turned serious again. "That was brave…standing up to Simone, putting your job on the line for Rachel. I don't think I could have done that. That just showed me that…maybe you are the better man for her."

"You really mean that?" Finn asked, wondering if Brody had an angle.

"Yeah, I really mean that…" Brody seemed serious. He held out a hand, wanting to make a truce with Finn. "I know that it's hard for you to be at NYADA as it is. I don't want to make things even more difficult." Finn nodded his head, shaking Brody's hand. As he was shaking Brody's hand, Finn started to feel light headed, not sure what was going on with him? "Finn? Finn, are you okay?" Finn tried to nod…but as soon as he got up from the stool, he collapsed on the floor, Brody quickly bolting out of the kitchen to get help. Brody ran over to Rachel, Santana, Kurt and Dani, seeing that they weren't exactly thrilled to see him.

"Brody, what is it?" Rachel wondered, about to put a piece of salad in her mouth.

"It's Finn!" Brody exclaimed. "He collapsed on the kitchen floor!" Rachel, Santana, Kurt and Dani got out of their seats, running to the kitchen, their eyes widening at what they saw.

"FINN!"

* * *

_**GUEST STARRING**_

_**Peter Facinelli as Rupert Campion**_

_**Dean Geyer as Brody Weston**_

_**Ariana Grande as Simone Barberrie**_

_**Mike O'Malley as Burt Hummel**_

_**Demi Lovato as Dani**_

_**Lisa Arch as Lisa Calpone**_

_**SONG(S)**_

_**Heartbreak Warfare (Originally by John Mayer): Performed by Kurt Hummel and Rachel Berry**_

_**Don't Go Breaking My Heart (Originally by Elton John and Kiki Dee): Performed by Finn Hudson and Rachel Berry**_

_**Not The End (Originally by The So Manys): Performed by Finn Hudson with Diner Staff**_


	16. 1x16: I'll Stand By You

_**Episode Synopsis: **Kurt, Rachel, Dani and Santana create their own 'Glee' assignment in order to cheer Finn up, but when Santana doesn't take the assignment seriously, it leads to an outburst from Finn and some insight from Dani for Santana to dig deep and find her true feelings for Finn. _

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I do not own Glee but I wish I did!_

**_Tribute Question:_**_ So for **Glee: The New York**_** _Story,_** _I want to do a tribute episode to an artist, but I have no idea who to do a tribute episode for. So, which artist would you like to see a tribute episode for? _

* * *

Rachel, Carole and Burt were in the waiting room at a nearby hospital, waiting to see what the diagnosis on Finn was. Rachel remembered that he was conscious when the ambulance came, but he looked like he was severely weakened. She kept thinking that he was possibly going to die—it looked that serious. One phone call to Burt and Carole later and they were all in the hospital, hoping that Finn was going to make a full recovery. Carole came over with three cups of coffee, handing one to Burt and one to Rachel, holding the third one close to her.

"Thank you…" Rachel softly told Carole, Carole giving her a comforting smile. Rachel didn't feel like drinking the coffee, she just wanted Finn to be okay. "This is all my fault."

"What?" Burt turned his head, seeing Rachel was on the verge of tears. "How was this your fault?"

"If I hadn't stressed Finn out with my own problems, then we wouldn't be here right now!" Rachel exclaimed. "What if Finn had a heart attack and we didn't know about it? He had the world on his shoulders and me moaning about a part on Broadway didn't exactly help."

"Rachel, whatever happened to Finn wasn't your fault." Carole assured her, rubbing her shoulders. "Finn has been an emotional wreck ever since he found out about his father and—Burt did you see the _Victoria's Secret_ commercial that came on during the commercial break of _All My Children_? Our son is an underwear model!"

"So you think Finn was doing all this just to fill some void or something?" Burt asked.

"Burt honey…he started calling you 'dad'. Finn's just trying to block his father out of his life with so many things. I knew we should have intervened." Carole rubbed her temples.

"I should have forced him to eat. He didn't want to." Burt admitted. "He refused to eat. He kept claiming he was busy. I should have intervened more. I'm…I'm terrible."

"No, you're not." Carole shook her head. "Whatever happens to Finn…we can get through this. I know we can." As Carole said that, the doctor came out holding what looked to be Finn's file.

"Hi, are you the Hudson's?" The doctor asked, pointing to Carole and Burt.

"Yes, yes we are." Carole nodded her head.

"Good news is, Finn's going to be fine." The doctor said. Burt and Carole let out relieved sighs as Rachel stared at the doctor. "Would you mind coming with me so you can see him? I think there's something that we need to discuss about him." Carole and Burt quickly nodded their heads, motioning Rachel to follow. Rachel, Burt and Carole entered one of the hospital rooms, spotting Finn sitting in the bed while looking out the window. "Finn, you have some visitors here to see you." Finn turned to the door, seeing his parents and Rachel.

"Oh god, Finn." Rachel walked over to him, seeing he started to smile at her. Rachel wrapped him into a hug, Finn reciprocating the hug and breathing in her scent. "Finn, what happened?" Rachel looked into his eyes, noticing that he was just as baffled.

"This dear is the cause of malnourishment, insomnia and dehydration." The doctor explained. Finn stared at the doctor while Burt and Carole gaped at Finn. "Finn when was the last time you actually sat down and ate something, or the last time you slept for an entire night or the last time you actually drank something?" Finn tried to answer but as he opened his mouth, he realized he couldn't. Rachel stared at Finn, hoping that there was an explanation for what the doctor was saying.

"Finn…when _was_ the last time you did any of those things?" Rachel asked, her eyes widening. "You were fake sleeping, weren't you?! When we would go to bed, you'd pretend you were sleeping!"

"Um…not exactly…" Finn winced.

"Finn, when was the last time you sat down to eat?" Carole wondered. Finn stared at his mother, letting out a sigh.

"I ate here and there. Not like a real meal but…something." Finn admitted. "Like…well…I ate some crackers and….that was pretty much it."

"Finn, that's not taking care of yourself." Burt said. "You told me that you were fine, that also meant that you were eating and drinking. You promised me that you were going to take care of yourself."

"I did take care of myself." Finn argued back.

"Look where you are, Finn!" Burt pointed to the hospital room. "If you were really taking care of yourself then you would be at work right now instead of at a hospital. I'm sorry, I don't mean to yell at you…but this is serious. This is your life that we're talking about here." Burt took one of the hospital chairs and placed it next to Finn, sitting down. "Finn, you need to understand that you have people that love you, that care about you. You can't break down and feel worthless because one person didn't want you. He doesn't want you, then he can go screw himself. Look, your mother loves you, I love you, Rachel loves you, Kurt loves you—the point is, you have so many people that love you. Are you really going to let what one person thinks define you?"

"That's the problem!" Finn shouted, not sure why he was angry. "Christopher _is_ supposed to define me! He's my birth father! Kids get told all the time that your parents are _supposed_ to love you because you're there's! Why doesn't he love me?!" Finn's voice started to break as he felt like he was going to cry. "Why doesn't he love me, Burt? I want someone to explain to me why my own father doesn't love me!" Finn broke down into tears, Burt pulling him into a hug. Burt rubbed Finn's back comfortingly as Finn continued to cry, Carole and Rachel feeling tears in their eyes from the encounter.

"I don't know buddy…I don't know why because you're such a wonderful person." Burt softly said. "I know life sucks and it's not fair, Finn. I know, believe me. I've seen enough of life to know when it just plain sucks. You need to understand that there are a lot of people that are here for you and love you. You're not alone."

"I know people say I'm not alone…" Finn whispered, tears still dripping down his face. "But the problem is, no matter how many people say I'm not alone and how many people there are near me…I still feel alone. I'm the one going through this…no one else." Burt pulled Finn closer to him as Finn started sobbing again.

"It's okay, buddy." Burt gripped Finn tightly, Carole walking over to her son.

"Sweetheart…" Carole ran a hand through Finn's hair, feeling terrible for him. "Let me tell you a little story." Finn looked up, staring at Carole, seeing she was smiling towards him. "You're not going to remember this because you were really little, you were two. Your grandmother, my mother…she was _infatuated_ with you. I think she kept trying to take you home with her every time she visited and she'd always want you to sleep over at her house when we went to see her. Anyway, she was sick when you were two years old…she passed away a week after we saw her. I was _heartbroken_ that she was gone. I felt alone even though I still had my father. Christopher had been in jail at that time so my life was just in shambles. There were days that I didn't want to get out of bed, but then knew I had to. Then one night, you were more fussy than usual and I was wondering what was the matter….that was when you said your first word. You said '_Nana_.' There was something that clicked in me…my mother would not want me to keep sleeping through life. She'd want me to take very good care of you, because she loved you so much. That was when I realized that I wasn't really alone. I had you-it was you that reminded me that I was never going to be alone. I learned something from a two year old and I don't know how many parents can say that about their kids. To this day, I continue to think, 'my son isn't Einstein but he's a damn genius.' He just needs some reminding sometimes just how powerful he actually is." Finn couldn't help but slightly smile at his mother, she talked _so_ fondly of him. "And Finn, I'm not _supposed_ to love you. I love you because I _knew_ I loved you. From the moment I saw you, I knew that we were together for as long as we both lived. You're _so_ special Finn, and if someone can't see that, then they don't deserve your love. I know it hurts and I know rejection stings, but you need your own…'Finn' in order for you to realize that you're not alone." Finn's smile vanished, guilt forming on his face.

"I'm sorry that I didn't take care of myself." Finn apologized, looking down at his hands. "Are you mad at me?"

"Mad? No." Carole shook her head, her face becoming a bit serious. "Disappointed? Just a tiny bit. I'm mostly worried. I love you baby, and I don't want you to not take care of yourself because of one person. You need to have fun. Go sing at a karaoke bar, take a dance class, make love to your girlfriend for all I care." Finn and Rachel gave embarrassed smiles, staring at Carole. "Just…be eighteen. You can still keep your job and you can still run the Glee Club—but you can't take on double the work because you're feeling empty and hollow, wanting to fill your life with work. All work and no play is unhealthy Finn. As you can see, you're in a hospital because all you did was work and not take care of yourself."

"What if I don't find that two year old version of myself anywhere and I feel alone for the rest of my life?" Finn worried. "I mean, I'll be miserable because someone doesn't love me. I know it's easy for you because you're older and you've been through this but it's not easy for me. I'm still learning."

"You're going to find it, Finn." Carole soothingly told her son. "I guarantee it." Burt patted Finn's back, seeing that he was turning to Rachel. "I'll let you and Rachel talk. Come on Burt, let's get Finn something to eat."

"All right." Burt nodded his head. Burt turned to Finn, releasing a grin. "Is there anything you'd like that's not in the hospital? I know firsthand that hospital food is terrible."

"Maybe a gigantic burger?" Finn suggested, his smile returning. "Also some fries? I need to eat." Finn and Burt chuckled, Burt rubbing Finn's shoulder.

"I love you, buddy." Finn nodded his head towards Burt, patting his hand.

"I love you too." Finn reciprocated, watching Burt and Carole leave the room. Finn looked over at Rachel, seeing she was walking towards him and folding her hands against the bed railing. Finn winced slightly, afraid that Rachel was going to yell at him for being stupid. "If you're going to yell at me…go ahead, I can take it." Rachel simply shook her head, sitting in the chair Burt recently occupied.

"I'm sorry, Finn." Rachel softly said, looking away from Finn.

"You're sorry?" Finn cocked his head to the side, still staring at Rachel in confusion. "Rachel, why are you sorry? I'm the one that should be sorry."

"Because if it wasn't about me stressing you about the whole _Funny Girl_ audition thing…" Rachel started to say until Finn put a hand up.

"Rachel, stop." Finn sighed. "The reason I am in this hospital bed right now is because _I _didn't take care of myself. It has nothing to do with you. I should have taken better care of myself, okay? So I don't want to hear you blaming yourself for why I'm here, do you understand me?" Rachel nodded her head as Finn grabbed her hand, his expression softening. "I'm not here because of you, okay? I'm not just saying it, baby. Okay?" Rachel leaned over and hugged Finn, Finn gripping tightly to her. "I'm sorry, Rachel."

"It's okay." Rachel pressed a kiss into his hair, gazing at him. "There's something I want you to know."

"What is it?" Finn asked, placing his forehead on hers.

"I really wanted the _Funny Girl_ role because I was trying to win it for you." Finn's face twisted into misperception, wondering what Rachel had meant.

"You wanted me to speak in a 50's accent and wear a dress?" Finn questioned, causing Rachel to giggle.

"No, no silly." Rachel smirked. "You were going through hell…and I just wanted some good news for us. I wanted something you could be happy about, so that might explain why I was being so difficult about not getting the callback then." Finn looked touched as he stared into Rachel's eyes, giving her a kiss on her cheek.

"That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said or done for me." Finn whispered, Rachel gripping onto Finn as he pulled her to lie in the bed next to him. "But I don't want you to do it because of me; I want you to do it because of you."

"But I am doing this for you, for me, for _us_." Rachel looked at him, making light circles on his chest with her fingers. "Besides, wouldn't you like it that you were the wife of the girl from Lima, Ohio on Broadway? You'd get to come backstage whenever you wanted, sit in on rehearsals."

"That does sound very tempting." Finn shifted a bit in the bed to make more room for Rachel, pulling her closer to him. "Hey, Rach?"

"Yes?" Rachel noticed her face was inches away from Finn's, a loving smirk on both their lips.

"I figured out what I'm going to do in New York City." Finn smiled. "I'm going to be a teacher. Not just any teacher, a music teacher and I'm going to make the kids love me like we did with Mr. Schuester and I'll have a Glee Club and we'll go to Sectionals, Regionals, Nationals and…" Rachel cut Finn off with a passionate kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. Finn hungrily responded to the kiss, engulfing so much passion into it. Finn didn't hear a knock at the hospital door, but he knew who it was by the sound of their voices.

"We knew you were hungry, but don't eat Rachel's face off." Santana smirked as Kurt followed her. Finn broke his kiss from Rachel, rolling his eyes at Santana.

"Great to see you too, Santana." Finn muttered, Rachel stifling a giggle.

"So Finn, what did the doctors say?" Kurt asked, leaning against the bed railing. "Is it bad?"

"Dude, I just collapsed because I didn't eat or drink anything…I also didn't sleep well." Finn lightheartedly said, trying to prevent his brother from worrying. "I'll be okay."

"Well, you need to eat." Kurt scolded.

"I will. Mom and Dad went to go get some food, so just relax." Finn chuckled. Kurt's face expression relaxed, placing a hand on Finn's shoulder.

"Don't worry me like that again." Kurt softly said. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."

"I'm alive and well. I think I'll be okay." Finn put a hand on Kurt's shoulder, appreciating his brother's concern.

"Well, since you're okay, we're going to head back to work." Santana pointed towards the door. "Gunter thinks I went to go grab more Yeast-I-Stat for him at the pharmacy. So, come on Kurt, Rachel." Kurt patted Finn's shoulder once more, following Santana out the door.

"Do you really have to go?" Finn wondered, looking at Rachel sadly.

"Yeah, unfortunately." Rachel started getting up from the bed, noticing Finn's sad face. "I'll be back tonight, I promise baby."

"Wait, they're not going to let me go home?" Finn sounded a bit frightened.

"No, I'm afraid not." Rachel sighed. "It's just overnight precautions. They do it for everyone that's rushed to the emergency room. Now, I want you to eat when your parents get back and then I want you to sleep, okay? You need to get better." Rachel pressed a kiss to Finn's forehead, noticing Finn's pout.

"I don't want you to leave." Finn sounded like he was a whining three-year old. "Please don't go."

"I'll be back, okay?" Rachel ran a hand through his hair. "Besides, I have to keep my job. Look, just…take the quiet time until your parents come back to take a nap. All right?" Finn sighed, relenting as Rachel pressed a kiss to his lips. "I love you, Finn." Rachel squeezed his hand.

"I love you too, Rachel." Finn forced a smile, seeing Rachel head out the door and down the hall. Finn looked around the hospital room, feeling his heart sink of depression. Now that everyone was gone, Finn really _did_ feel alone—and being alone really, really _sucked_.

* * *

"So is Finn going to be okay?" Dani questioned as she, Santana, Kurt and Rachel wiped down the tables after the dinner rush.

"Yeah, Finn's going to be just fine." Rachel assured her. "He just needs to take proper care of himself and not be too hard on himself." Rachel looked down at the counter, feeling just a bit saddened. "I'm worried about him."

"We all are, Rachel." Kurt said. "I mean, what he did isn't as drastic as cutting himself or developing bulimia or something but, this was a cry for help. Finn's obviously depressed."

"Wait, so he went from doing too many things to being depressed? Please explain." Santana stared at Kurt, not understanding the situation.

"Finn was always depressed after the whole father drama in Lima. But something's missing from his life. Sure, he tries to fill his void with work, school, Glee Club, doing a provocative commercial and having sex with Rachel—"

"Seriously, is my sex life with Finn interesting to you and Santana or something?" Rachel was beginning to feel annoyed.

"Yes. I just question how you possibly can love being pressed against someone who is as hot and sweaty as a sack of potatoes left out in the sun to purposely go rotten." Santana smirked at Rachel.

"All right, let's move on here." Kurt started at both women, hoping to continue his thought. "I think at the end of the day, Finn is just lonely and sad. I think that we should try to make him feel better."

"How are we going to make him feel better?" Dani inquired, gazing at Kurt.

"I remember in High School when one of us had a rough week, our Glee Club teacher Mr. Schuester would have an assignment with the other members singing to one of us songs that were inspiring and encouraging. It worked when my dad had his heart attack and when Santana was ousted in school, so why can't it work for Finn here?" Dani, Rachel and Santana thought about it, realizing that it was a good idea.

"That's an excellent idea, Kurt." Rachel smiled. "Finn deserves to be happy…so as his friends I think it's our obligation to make sure Finn is as happy as he could be."

"That's the right attitude, and I think I know just the song for us to start our assignment of cheering up Finn. I did kind of have an idea, Dani…do you think you can help me?" Kurt looked to Dani who gave him a nod of her head.

"What kind of idea?" Santana wondered as Dani grabbed her guitar and Kurt sat down in one of the booths.

"Well, it's like Finn's this reflection of all of us. When we all look in the mirror, we see a little bit of Finn in ourselves. Rachel sees his determination, I see his instincts and Santana…you have to see something?"

"Yeah, I see his man boobs when he comes in the bathroom and takes my toothpaste without asking." Santana smirked.

"Santana, take this seriously!" Kurt scolded. "We took you seriously when you were forced out of the closet. Finn deserves the same satisfaction."

"I am taking this seriously," Santana nodded her head. "Just like I seriously believe that Finn has man boobs that are full of cow's milk because he was Otis from the Barnyard in his past life."

"Anyway." Dani interrupted, giving Santana a serious look as she started playing a few chords on the guitar. Kurt sat down with her as they started to rehearse the song they were going to sing for Finn, with Rachel and Santana listening away.

_[Dani]  
Aren't you something to admire  
Cause your shine is something like a mirror  
And I can't help but notice, you reflect  
In this heart of mine  
If you ever feel alone and the glare  
Makes me hard to find  
Just know that I'm always parallel on the other side_

_[Dani and Kurt]  
Cause with your hand in my hand and a pocket full of soul  
I could tell you there's no place we couldn't go  
Just put your hand on the glass, I'll be trying to pull you through  
You just gotta to be strong_

_{Scene changes to Dani, Kurt, Rachel and Santana in Finn's hospital room, Dani playing the guitar while Kurt and Dani sing with a smile}_

_[Kurt and Dani]  
I don't wanna lose you now  
I'm looking right at the other half of me  
The vacancy inside of my heart  
There's a space and now you're home  
Show me how to fight for now  
And I tell you baby it was easy coming back into you  
Once I figured it out  
You were right here all along_

_It's like you're my mirror  
My mirror staring back at me  
I couldn't get any bigger  
With anyone else beside of me  
And now it's clear of this promise  
That were making two reflections into one  
Cause it's like you're my mirror  
My mirror staring back at me  
Staring back at me_

_[Kurt]  
Are you something, an original  
Cause it doesn't seem merely a sample  
And I can't help but stare, cause  
I see truth somewhere in your eyes  
I can't ever change without you  
You reflect me, I love that about you  
And if I could, I would look at us all the time_

_[Dani and Kurt]  
Cause with your hand in my hand and a pocket full of soul  
I could tell you there's no place we couldn't go  
Just put your hand on the glass, I'll be trying to pull you through  
You just gotta to be strong_

_I don't wanna lose you now  
I'm looking right at the other half of me  
The vacancy inside of my heart  
There's a space and now you're home  
Show me how to fight for now  
And I tell you baby it was easy coming back into you  
Once I figured it out  
You were right here all along_

_It's like you're my mirror  
My mirror staring back at me  
I couldn't get any bigger  
With anyone else beside of me  
And now it's clear of this promise  
That were making two reflections into one  
Cause it's like you're my mirror  
My mirror staring back at me  
Staring back at me_

_{Finn continues to stare at Kurt and Dani as they smile at him, hoping his expression changes into a happy one}_

_[Kurt]  
Yesterday was history_

_[Dani]  
Tomorrow's a mystery  
I can see you looking back at me_

_[Kurt and Dani]  
Keep your eyes on me  
Baby, keep your eyes on me_

_I don't wanna lose you now  
I'm looking right at the other half of me  
The vacancy inside of my heart  
There's a space and now you're home  
Show me how to fight for now  
And I tell you baby it was easy coming back into you  
Once I figured it out  
You were right here all along_

_It's like you're my mirror  
My mirror staring back at me  
I couldn't get any bigger  
With anyone else beside of me  
And now it's clear of this promise  
That were making two reflections into one  
Cause it's like you're my mirror  
My mirror staring back at me  
Staring back at me_

Finn absently stared at Kurt and Dani as Dani put the guitar to the side. Finn wasn't quite sure what was going on here—but he kind of disliked the singing attention at the hospital. Kurt folded his hands, looking to Rachel and Santana, trying to study Finn's face.

"So babe…what did you think?" Rachel asked after a moment. Finn raised an eyebrow, not sure what to make of it.

"Why the hell did you sing me a song about mirrors?" Kurt realized Finn didn't get the true meaning of the song, shaking his head with a sigh.

"The song is not about a mirror, Finn." Kurt said. "It's complicated to explain what the song's about but..."

"The song's about a couple that everything they did basically reflected each other, and after they broke up they still realized their reflect one another." Dani said, turning to Kurt with a small smile. "Sorry but you were beating around the bush there."

"The way we used it, was that you reflect what we do." Kurt added. "You're important, Finn."

"Oh really? Then why doesn't my father see that?" Finn bitterly asked.

"Okay, that's it." Santana walked over to Finn, slapping him across the face. Dani, Rachel and Kurt's eyes widened as Finn looked shocked towards Santana. "Snap out of it!"

"Santana!" Rachel reprimanded, walking over to her. "Why did you slap Finn?!"

"Because he needs to stop moping around!" Santana said. "My grandmother doesn't love me and you don't see me sobbing my eyes out and starving myself to death because of it! Finn needs to realize that his father just doesn't care! That's it!"

"Santana, you're being insensitive!" Dani yelled, looking at her girlfriend.

"How am I being insensitive?" Santana released a sigh while Kurt stared at Finn who was still in shock. "Look, we're all making a big deal about this! Maybe the best way is just to let this run its course."

"THIS ISN'T A PHASE, SANTANA!" Finn bellowed, staring at Santana with anger. Santana looked taken aback, taking a step away from Finn as his lips curled into a snarl. "I'm not you! I don't know how to put things behind me! All right?! It's as simple as that! Now just leave me alone!" Finn turned away from Santana, facing towards the window while Santana's face softened. Santana didn't know what to say next, so she left the hospital room. Rachel walked over towards Finn, placing a hand on his shoulder, but he shook her off, shaking his head in sadness. "Rachel, right now I just want to be left alone. _Please!_" Finn couldn't stress it enough that he wasn't in the mood for anything. Rachel nodded her head, motioning for Kurt and Dani to follow her.

"If you ever just want company, then just call me, okay?" Rachel pointed to her phone. However, she heard Finn let out a scoff.

"Right." Rachel knew Finn didn't want to be upset with her, but he was just upset in general. Dani and Kurt left the hospital room as Rachel walked back in, grabbing a seat and sitting down next to him. Finn turned his head slightly, seeing she was sitting there, folding her arms.

"Finn, you don't really want to be alone, do you?" Rachel softly said. Finn shook his head, Rachel pressing a kiss to his forehead. "I had a feeling. I'm sorry Santana slapped you."

"No, it's okay…" Finn stared at Rachel, looking as if he was in thought. "I'm just a mess, you know."

"I know." Rachel chuckled, putting her forehead to Finn's. "But you're _my_ beautiful mess." Finn pressed a kiss to Rachel's lips, Rachel caressing Finn's cheek where Santana's hand made contact. Rachel felt Finn's lips turn into a smile against her own as she smiled against his lips as well, for the first time in a while feeling nothing but peace.

* * *

"I don't get why everyone is so pissed right now." Santana walked out of the hospital with Dani. Dani wasn't exactly thrilled with Santana, especially after Santana wrecked the assignment of making Finn feel better by making him worse.

"Let's try you slapped Finn across the face." Dani huffed, not looking back at her. "Santana, I don't know why you're so mean to Finn all the time, and frankly I don't know how he puts up with it."

"I am not mean to Finn all the time." Santana retorted, staring at Dani. "Why do you think I'm mean?"

"Well you weren't exactly offering Finn chocolate bunnies and marshmallows." Dani sighed. "Santana, why do you hide your potential real feelings from Finn? I know how you really feel about him."

"Oh no, oh…" Santana slightly laughed. "I'm sure I play for the other team. I have _no_ feelings for Finn."

"I didn't say you had feelings _for_ Finn." Dani said. "I said how you feel _about_ Finn. You love him—like a sibling. You have a brother/sister vibe going on there."

"If we have a brother/sister vibe then we'd be arrested for incest." Santana joked. "I had sex with Finn once, and _never_ again."

"Santana." Dani let out a small smile, walking closer to her. "I know you love Finn, and I know you want everyone to be tough all the time, but sometimes it's okay to just break down. You have to be there for him like he's there for everyone else."

"Look Dani…it's hard for me to admit my feelings." Santana showed a bit of insecurity.

"I know it's hard for you to admit your feelings." Dani chuckled. "It's hard, and it's not easy…but sometimes you have to put your wall down…and let people see how you truly feel. There's nothing wrong with that. There's nothing wrong with being close to Finn." Dani leaned and kissed Santana's cheek lightly, walking away from her with a smile. Santana sat on a nearby bench, thinking about the words Dani had just told her, wondering if she really _did_ love Finn—like a brother. Finn was that annoying song that was in her head, and although Finn was annoying most of the time, he was also sweet…like a nightingale. _  
_

_{Scene changes to Finn feeling sleepy and Rachel singing a lullaby to him with a smile, nuzzling her nose with his while she lies next to him in his hospital bed}_

_[Rachel]  
I can't sleep tonight  
Wide awake and so confused  
Everything's in line  
But I am bruised  
I need a voice to echo  
I need a light to take me home  
I kinda need a hero  
Is it you_

_I never see the forest for the trees  
I could really use your melody  
Baby I'm a little blind  
I think it's time, for you to find me_

_Can you be my nightingale  
Sing to me, I know you're there  
You could be my sanity  
Bring me peace, sing me to sleep  
Say you'll be my nightingale_

_{Santana sits on the outside bench, looking down at her phone with pictures of her, Rachel, Finn and Kurt, her eyes fixated on Finn}_

_[Santana]  
Somebody speak to me  
Cause I'm feeling like hell  
Need you to answer me  
I'm overwhelmed  
I need a voice to echo  
I need a light to take me home  
I need a star to follow  
I don't know_

_I never see the forest for the trees  
I could really use your melody  
Baby I'm a little blind  
I think it's time, for you to find me_

_Can you be my nightingale  
Sing to me, I know you're there  
You could be my sanity  
Bring me peace, sing me to sleep  
Say you'll be my nightingale_

_{Scene splits with Rachel laying in Finn's hospital bed, watching him sleep as she smiles towards him and Santana walking through the hallways of the hospital, looking out the window of Finn's hospital room}_

_[Rachel]  
I don't know what I'd do without you_

_[Santana}  
Your words are like a whisper come through_

_[Rachel]  
As long as you're with me here tonight_

_[Rachel and Santana]  
I'm good_

_Can you be my nightingale  
Still so close  
I know you're there  
Ooooooooooh! Nightingale  
Sing to me I know you're there!  
Cause baby you're my sanity  
You bring me peace  
Sing me to sleep  
Say you'll be my nightingale_

* * *

"I'm going to get something to eat, do you want anything?" Rachel asked a few hours later after Finn woke up from his nap. "I could get something from Burger King or Wendy's."

"Sure." Finn smiled at her. Rachel put her purse on her shoulder, gazing into his eyes.

"I'll be back in about a half hour with your food. I'll bring you anything with meat." Rachel half joked as Finn nodded his head.

"And a frosty please?" Finn asked. Rachel nodded her head, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Chocolate maybe?"

"A chocolate frosty. Got it." Rachel put her thumb up as she made her way out of the hospital room. Finn kept the half grin on his face as he reached for the remote and turned on the television to keep himself occupied. He became intrigued with the football game that was on the television, leaning back in the hospital bed. He was actually glad that he was going to leave the hospital tomorrow. He couldn't wait to sleep in his own bed. Finn heard someone knock on the door, his head turning towards the entrance and noticing Santana feebly standing there. Finn motioned for Santana to enter, hearing the door close behind her.

"So…" Santana walked over to him, looking up at the television channel. "Football?"

"Yep." Finn continued to stare at the television, trying his hardest to ignore Santana. Santana sat down in the chair next to Finn, folding her hands while looking down. She was going to do it. She was going to say what was on her chest.

"I love you." Santana blurted out, causing Finn to shockingly turn to her. Finn muted the television, sitting up in his bed, still giving Santana a look of tremor.

"You what…" Finn coughed at Santana's revelation. "Santana, I thought you played for the other team."

"Well that didn't work out well…" Santana muttered, turning her attention back to Finn. "I don't love you like that Pillsbury Dough Turd."

"But you just said you loved me." Finn turned pale. "Santana are you okay?"

"I'm not good with the whole feelings thing! Okay!" Santana sighed. "All right, I'm sorry I slapped you and I'm sorry that I yelled at you, but you really do not know how frustrating you are sometimes."

"I'm frustrating?" Finn enquired. "How?'

"I…you…just the things you do…" Santana said. "You're annoying, everything you say and do is annoying and frankly I don't know why I like it so much! Maybe because…because you're like my brother…my creepy brother who I had sex with at one point but still…my brother."

"So I'm like a creepy brother. I always wanted to be one." Finn sardonically said.

"Finn, just listen to me. What I'm about to tell you is something that I don't want to repeat because it's going to be against my nature." Santana snapped her fingers in front of him, getting his attention. "Finn, the reason I slapped you was because I was scared. You're like this gigantic rock that we all depend on and when I saw that the rock of our loft was having nervous breakdowns left and right, it made me feel like all hope was lost. The truth is I do care Finn, that's why I'm a bitch. I'm a bitch because I care. I guess when I saw that you were vulnerable, I freaked out. I meant every word I said to you back in Lima. And I'm going to say this now—you are _special_. And if your father doesn't love you, then he can go eat a piping hot pepper and fall down a well. You still have your friends that care about you—and I know that you feel lonely even when you're not alone. I don't know how normal that is but, trust me Finn…I know what it's like to have someone not love you. So here's what you're going to do. You're going to give me a hug, because I'm going to be there for you now so you won't be alone. You were there for me when I was kicked out of the closet and now I'm going to be there for you. Okay?" Finn thought about, letting out a small smile.

"Am I still a creepy brother if I hug you?" Finn chuckled.

"I'm giving you permission to hug me." Santana smiled, motioning for Finn. "Now come here and give me a hug, Cabbage Patch Kid." Finn grinned, embracing Santana into a hug. Santana rubbed Finn's back as Finn became content. "Hey, Finnocence?"

"Yeah?" Finn looked to Santana, raising an eyebrow, the smile still on his lips.

"I love you, Finn." Santana softly spoke, Finn giving her another hug.

"I love you too, Santana." Finn and Santana stayed in that embrace, not noticing that Rachel had come back with her and Finn's food. Rachel stopped, a smile creeping on her face as she leaned against the doorway, noticing that Finn actually had an honest smile on his face for the first time in a long time.

* * *

The next evening, Santana sat on the loft floor, staring down at some sheet music at her feet. Rachel exited her room, clapping her hands together as she joined Santana, smiling over at her friend. Santana gave Rachel a friendly smile, looking back down towards the music.

"So I finally was able to put Finn to sleep." Rachel crossed her legs to get more comfortable on the floor. "He should sleep like a baby."

"You make it sound like Finn is your child." Santana teased. "Did you feed him too?"

"As a matter of fact, yes." Rachel clapped her hands together. "We went to this beautiful restaurant with candlelight's looking over the horizon of New York City. It was so romantic."

"I'm sure it was." Santana chuckled. "Did he marvel at the skyscrapers? He thinks that they're…something."

"Yeah, he marvels at them. I think it's because there aren't a lot of skyscrapers in Lima, Ohio. I was mesmerized by them when I first saw them too…" Rachel looked down at the sheet music, picking one up and scanning it. "What's this for?"

"Well, remember how we vowed that we were going to make Finn feel better?" Santana saw Rachel nod her head before continuing. "I was thinking maybe we could sing him something that will make him cry—of joy of course."

"Aww, Santana." Rachel gushed, taking her friend's hand. "You really do care about Finn."

"Yeah, well…" Santana shrugged her shoulders, her face turning apologetic. "Sorry I slapped your husband-to-be. I was kind of freaking out because he was supposed to be strong one and all of a sudden he's breaking down."

"I know." Rachel patted Santana's hand. "I'm not mad…but we also have to be considerate about his feelings. He can't be strong all the time."

"I know that now, especially since Dani gave me a talking to. Who knew she was good at that kind of stuff?" Rachel and Santana shared a laugh, but the laughter slowly died when Rachel had a thought in her mind.

"Santana? Do you mind if I ask you a question? I promise it's not too invasive." Santana bobbed her head as Rachel let out a deep breath. "Do you still love Brittany?" Santana thought about Rachel's question, giving Rachel a serious look.

"I'll always love Brittany, Rachel. It's just…maybe I needed a fresh start in New York. If Brittany and I were meant to get back together in the end, then let it be. But I'm going to let the universe do it's thing and maybe the universe will steer me in the right direction."

"I know it will." Rachel seemed so sure. "You're destined for great things, Santana. I know you are." Rachel leaned her head on Santana's shoulder, Santana feeling a nice warm feeling in her heart. Santana looked over to one of the sheet music that was sitting there, grabbing it while Rachel smiled softly.

"What do you think of this song?" Santana asked. Rachel read the lyrics of the song, becoming confident that it would have been perfect.

"That's…amazing. Finn would love this one." Rachel's mind was whirring, getting an idea in her head. "I have an idea. We could turn this song into something Finn would never forget. I'm going to need my telephone…and my check book."

* * *

"Where are we going?" Finn was being pulled down the streets of Manhattan the next morning by Rachel, Kurt and Santana, baffled by where he was going. "Santana, Rachel, Kurt…will someone please tell me what's going on?"

"Where's the fun with the element of surprise?" Kurt asked his brother, Finn raising an eyebrow to him. "Now, no more questions."

"Can I at least get a hint?" Finn didn't like surprises, especially if the outcome ended badly for him. "Come on, guys. Please?"

"Come on, Finn…let's go." Rachel said in a sing-song voice. Finn looked up, noticing that they were at NYADA—but there was no school, so why were they there? And why were Santana and Kurt there? They didn't go to school at NYADA.

"Wait, what are we doing here?" Finn turned to Rachel and Kurt with interest. "There's no school today."

"We know there's no school today." Rachel smiled, pulling Finn into the school with Santana and Kurt in tow. Finn noticed that there were arrows on the wall, facing his friends with a raised eyebrow.

"What are these?" Finn asked, pointing to the walls.

"We're going to sing to you." Kurt revealed. "You're going to follow the arrows on the walls and you're going to get your surprise when you reach the end." Finn looked at the walls, seeing that the title of the song was plastered on the side—made out of newspaper letters.

"_I'll Stand By You_?" Finn scratched his head. "Didn't I sing this song like three years ago?"

"Yes but it was to a sonogram of a baby that wasn't even yours." Kurt bluntly answered, causing Rachel and Santana to giggle.

"Come on, just trust us. Okay?" Santana stared at Finn, realizing that he was warming up to the idea.

"All right, all right. Sure." Finn agreed. Finn saw down the hall that there was a piano, and the NYADA pianist started playing the song.

_{Rachel walks over to Finn, holding out her hand as she releases a grin towards him, Santana and Kurt smiling towards them}_

_[Rachel]  
Oh, why you look so sad  
Tears are in your eyes  
Come on and come to me now  
Don't be ashamed to cry  
Let me see you through  
Cause I've seen the dark side too_

_When the night falls on you,  
You don't know what to do  
Nothing you confess  
Can make me love you less_

_[Rachel with Kurt and Santana harmonizing]  
I'll stand by you  
I'll stand by you  
Won't let nobody hurt you  
I'll stand by you_

_{Finn grabs Rachel's hand and Santana, Kurt and Rachel start walking along the school, following the arrows. They eventually end up in front of the auditorium as Finn looks at them}_

_[Kurt]  
So, if you're mad get mad  
Don't hold it all inside  
Come on and talk to me now_

_[Santana]  
And hey, what you got to hide  
I get angry too  
Well, I'm a lot like you_

_[Kurt and Santana]  
When you're standing at the crossroads  
Don't know which path to choose  
Let me come along  
Cause even if you're wrong_

_{Rachel opens the NYADA auditorium door and Finn's eyes widen in surprise when he sees the NYADA Glee Club, New Directions, Mr. Schuester, Burt, Carole and all the New Directions Alumni standing on the stage, singing along with Kurt, Santana and Rachel}_

_[Santana with Kurt, Rachel, New Directions, NYADA Glee Club, New Directions Alumni, Burt and Carole]  
I'll stand by you  
I'll stand by you  
Won't let nobody hurt you  
I'll stand by you  
Take me in into your darkest hour  
And I'll never desert you  
I'll stand by you_

_{Rachel pulls Finn and has him sit down in one of the auditorium seats as she, Santana and Kurt go on the stage as Finn smiles widely}_

_[Rachel]  
And when, when the night falls on you baby_

_[Kurt]  
You're feeling all alone_

_[Santana]  
You won't be on your own_

_[Rachel, Santana and Kurt with New Directions, NYADA Glee Club, Burt, Carole and New Directions Alumni]  
I'll stand by you  
I'll stand by you  
Won't let nobody hurt you  
I'll stand by you  
Take me in into your darkest hour  
And I'll never desert you  
I'll stand by you_

_I'll stand by you  
Won't let nobody hurt you (Rachel: I'll stand by you)  
I'll stand by you  
Take me in into your darkest hour (Santana: I'll stand by you)  
And I'll never desert you  
I'll stand by you _

_I'll stand by you  
I'll stand by you  
Won't let nobody hurt you (Kurt: I'll stand by you)  
I'll stand by you_

Everyone faced towards Finn, noticing that he was in tears—but he was smiling. Rachel couldn't help but shed a few tears for him as well, making her way over towards him with a smile. Finn got up from his chair, engulfing Rachel into a hug as he happily cried, Rachel crying into him as well. Kurt and Santana high fived, making their way over to Finn and Rachel and hugging them. Everyone couldn't help but smile, and some even shed tears, knowing that they finally made progress in Finn becoming truly happy again—until...

"Hello?" A voice said, causing Finn to stiffen and Rachel's eyes to widely open. Everyone turned their heads towards the door, noticing Christopher entering the auditorium. Finn looked completely confused while Santana, Kurt and Burt turned defensive. Finn kept a grip on Rachel, gazing at his birth father. Finn didn't want to admit it—but the happy feelings he had were replaced with fear.

"What…what the hell are you doing here?" Finn asked, shaking his head. "I thought you were in jail!" Rachel was also confused as to what Christopher was doing there, Christopher walking closer to his son.

"You thought wrong." Christopher glared Finn into his eyes, seeing nothing but terror in Finn's eyes. The next words sent shivers down Finn's spine, causing him to completely freak out. "Looks like I found you—_again_."

* * *

_**GUEST STARRING**_

_**Mike O'Malley as Burt Hummel**_

_**Remy Rosemont as Carole Hudson-Hummel**_

_**Demi Lovato as Dani**_

_**WITH CAMEOS BY:**_

_**Matthew Morrison as Will Schuester**_

_**Melissa Benoist as Marley Rose**_

_**Jacob Artist as Jake Puckerman**_

_**Blake Jenner as Ryder Lynn**_

_**Alex Newell as Wade "Unique" Adams**_

_**Darren Criss as Blaine Anderson**_

_**Heather Morris as Brittany S. Pierce**_

_**Jenna Ushkowitz as Tina Cohen-Chang**_

_**Kevin McHale as Artie Abrams**_

_**Vanessa Lengies as Sugar Motta**_

_**Samuel Larsen as Joe Hart**_

_**Becca Tobin as Kitty Wilde**_

_**Chord Overstreet as Sam Evans**_

_**Mark Salling as Noah "Puck" Puckerman**_

_**Dianna Agron as Quinn Fabray**_

_**Amber Riley as Mercedes Jones**_

_**Harry Shum Jr. as Mike Chang**_

_**SONG(S):**_

_**Mirrors [Acoustic Version] (Originally by Justin Timberlake): Performed by Dani and Kurt Hummel**_

_**Nightingale (Originally by Demi Lovato): Performed by Rachel Berry and Santana Lopez**_

_**I'll Stand By You (Originally by The Pretenders): Rachel Berry, Kurt Hummel and Santana Lopez with New Directions**_


	17. 1x17: Michael: Part 2

_**Episode Synopsis: **Finn, Santana, Kurt, Rachel and New Directions decide to pay tribute to Michael Jackson again after New Directions suggest Michael's music will allow Finn to become more confident and finally stand up to his father. Santana deals with Brittany's return to New York while Dani is away. _

**_Disclaimer: _**_I do not own Glee although I wish I did. _

**_Finn/Cory Tribute: _**_Okay, so the Finn Hudson/Cory Monteith tribute was last night and it was the most BEAUTIFUL tribute I have ever seen. I was able to hold it all together until I saw Finn's plaque and what it said underneath. We may not have Finn/Cory on Glee anymore, but Finn will still live on in our hearts-and fanfiction. I still regret killing Finn off in my last fanfiction although at the time I knew it had to be done. It was pretty hard for me to finish this chapter after seeing the tribute but as Finn Hudson says (and I'll say with a smile): "The show must go...all over the place...or something." So to Finn's request, the show will go on. :)_

_**Note: **Thank you to everyone who sent me your ideas for what tributes you'd like to see. I finally got the idea of Michael Jackson because there were a lot of my favorite songs from him that Glee didn't cover. And since The Beatles and Britney Spears got two tribute episodes, why not Michael Jackson (Season 3 Sectionals doesn't count because they did Jackson 5 and Janet Jackson. Not just Michael). However, in Season 2, just so you know, I will do Sir Elton John, maybe Beyonce or the most popular songs from the 90's tribute. I know I'm doing Elton John. Anyway, without further ado, **Michael 2.0.**_

* * *

"Finn!" Kurt yelled walking throughout the loft and heading to Rachel and Finn's bedroom. Kurt knocked on the door, crossing his arms while letting out an exasperated sigh. Ever since Finn had seen Christopher, he had been more on edge than usual—and that resulted in Finn hiding from the world in his bedroom. Just when they thought that they were making progress in making Finn feel better, there his father went, having to bring Finn back to square one. "Finn, please come out. You can't hide in there forever."

"_Yes I can!_" Finn yelled from behind the door. Kurt continued knocking on the door, twisting the doorknob in hopes that he can open the door. Kurt leaned against the wall, letting out a smirk.

"Finn, you have someone who wants to see you." Kurt looked around, still gazing at the door. "It's Rachel. She wants to see you." A moment later, Finn opened the door, but when he saw that Rachel wasn't at the front door, it made Finn turn to Kurt in annoyance. Instead—it was the members of New Directions standing (well, in Artie's case sitting) in front of Finn's door, giving him worried looks.

"Kurt?" Finn spoke, feeling shivers going up and down his spine. "What is all of this about?"

"What this is all about how you took twenty steps back and went back into hiding." Kurt said. "New Directions decided they're going to stay for a little while so they can help you get back on your feet."

"Oh really? I don't see how." Finn scoffed. "I mean come on now. My dad is in New York after I thought that he was in jail! How did he find me and how did he get out of jail? That's what I want to know."

"Well, I don't think we can tell you that…" Artie looked at Finn, causing Finn to give them suspicious looks.

"Is there something I don't know that you guys _do_ know?" Finn questioned, staring at Kurt. "Because I want to know and I kind of want to know now. How did he know that I was here and why?"

"Okay, I can only answer a part of your question," Kurt said. "I had no idea that your dad was here and no one knows how he found out. But he was released from jail because the cops didn't read him his Miranda Rights."

"Wait, how did you know this?" Finn forgot New Directions was standing there, focusing on just his brother. "How did you know this, Kurt?"

"Because…" Kurt let out a deep breath. "Burt told me. That's why he came to New York. Look, Finn he tried to tell you, but you were so busy with work. That's why we showed up at your school when you were on your way to work. I'm sorry, Finn." Kurt expected Finn to blow up at any moment, screaming at the top of his lungs—but instead, Kurt felt Finn pat his shoulder, Finn giving him a small smile.

"I guess it's kind of my fault." Finn shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't listen to you when I should have. I just want to know how he knew I was here."

"Oh we can kind of answer that one." Blaine said. "Principal Sylvester gave him the directions straight to your school, house and the local Starbucks you and Rachel go to every morning before school."

"Wait, back up a minute." Finn found this information was hard to swallow all at once. "You said _Principal_ Sylvester. What happened to Principal Figgins?"

"Right…about that…" Marley twiddled her thumbs. "Apparently Coach Sylvester planted Playboy magazines all over his office so now he's a lowlife janitor. And that's what you missed on…"

"_Glee!" _All of New Directions sang, causing Finn to chuckle. He then remembered his issues, running a hand through his hair.

"Look, I don't want to be scared of my father, I really don't." Finn admitted. "But I'm just afraid because he hasn't exactly been the kindest warmest person. Just tell that to my eye."

"Yeah, your poor eye." Kurt patted his brother's back lightly.

"The point is, I'm scared of him." Finn looked to the New Directions, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "And right now I don't really know what I'm going to do."

"Well then, we know just the thing that you're going to do." Artie wheeled over to Finn as the others stared at him.

"What's that thing we're going to do?" Finn asked.

"We're as a Glee Club are going to give you an assignment of your own. We need you to be 100% Finn if we're going to have any chance of you helping us when Regionals come around." Artie said. "So, we've been thinking tributes."

"At first we thought that we were going to do Britney Spears again, but only Brittany voted for that one." Tina looked to Brittany, seeing the cheerleader looked a bit sad.

"I just wanted to say 'It's Brittany, bitch' again—then sing Britney Spears." Brittany nonchalantly said.

"Also I think as a Glee Club we killed Britney Spears songs to death so can we just bury her songs in a ditch and move on?" Jake added.

"We tried many artists that were there, maybe Sir Elton John, Bryan Adams, Michael Bolton—but then," Artie's face curled into a surprising smile. "We realized how much you loved Michael Jackson week when we did it last year. You felt it in your bones; we even heard that you sang a Michael Jackson to Rachel in the choir room when you proposed the first time."

"Okay, so what's your point?" Finn asked, not seeing where everyone was getting.

"We're going to do—Michael Week…again!" Artie clapped his hands.

"Or as Blaine cleverly called it, 'Michael 2.0'." Kurt smiled. "I mean, Michael was put into tight spots himself in his life and we feel that if you sing Michael Jackson, you're going to relate to him. Think about it, aside from the millions of dollars, you and Michael Jackson are pretty much alike. I mean, his father worked him and his brothers to become talented superstars and he wasn't exactly the kindest father in the world—at least that's what I gathered from that Jackson 5 biopic."

"So what do you say, Finn?" Tina asked, flashing him a grin. "Are you down for Michael Week?"

"Am I down for Michael Week?" Finn thought for a moment, finally reciprocating a grin. "Hell yeah, I'm down for some Michael Jackson!"

"All right, and we have just the song that we wanted to get started, if you don't mind." Artie said.

"Of course, yeah." Finn nodded his head. "Especially since I know the perfect place where we could strut our stuff…"

_{Scene changes to the diner as New Directions wears Michael Jackson inspired costumes, pulling Finn to dance with them while Santana, Kurt and Rachel smile behind the counter with a smile}_

_[Artie]  
Lovely is the feeling now  
Fever, temperature's rising now  
Power (Marley: Ah, power) is the force the vow  
That makes it happen it asks no questions why  
So get closer (Marley: Closer now)  
To my body now, just love me  
Till you don't know how_

_[Artie, Marley, Brittany and Finn with New Directions]  
Keep on with the force don't  
Don't stop till you get enough  
Keep on with the force don't  
Don't stop till you get enough  
Keep on with the force don't  
Don't stop till you get enough  
Keep on with the force don't  
Don't stop till you get enough_

_[Marley]  
Touch me and I feel on fire  
Ain't nothing like a love desire  
I'm melting (Finn: I'm melting)  
Like hot candle wax sensation (Finn: Ah, sensation)  
Lovely where we're at (Finn: Ooh)  
So let love take us through the hours  
I won't be complaining  
Cause this is love power (Finn: Ooh!)_

_[Marley, Finn, Artie and Brittany with New Directions]  
Keep on with the force don't  
Don't stop till you get enough  
Keep on with the force don't  
Don't stop till you get enough  
Keep on with the force don't  
Don't stop till you get enough  
Keep on with the force don't  
Don't stop till you get enough_

_{Santana, Kurt and Rachel jump over the counter with the other diner waitresses as New Directions and Finn dance with them with a smile}_

_[Brittany]  
Heartbreak is the feeling now  
I won't be complaining (Artie: OW!)  
The force is love power_

_[Brittany, Artie, Marley and Finn with New Directions]  
Keep on with the force don't  
Don't stop till you get enough  
Keep on with the force don't  
Don't stop till you get enough  
Keep on with the force don't  
Don't stop till you get enough  
Keep on with the force don't  
Don't stop till you get enough_

_Keep on with the force don't  
Don't stop till you get enough  
Keep on with the force don't  
Don't stop till you get enough  
Keep on with the force don't  
Don't stop till you get enough  
Keep on with the force don't  
Don't stop till you get enough_

_Keep on with the force don't  
Don't stop till you get enough  
Keep on with the force don't  
Don't stop till you get enough  
Keep on with the force don't  
Don't stop till you get enough  
Keep on with the force don't  
Don't stop till you get enough_

The whole diner shook with applause, the New Directions members bowing their heads in excitement. They all turned to Finn, wondering what he was thinking, and that was when they saw his face was in thinking mode. The members went to go take a seat on the counter as Kurt motioned them in order to give them free milkshakes in reward to performing with the group, but Brittany continued to keep her eyes on Santana, stuffing her hands in her pocket. Santana knew that she had to at least make things amicable with Brittany, so on she went to her ex-girlfriend.

"Wow Brittany, that was great." Santana sincerely said. "That…that was really great."

"Yeah, well…I doubt that _Dani _would be able to dance Michael Jackson as well as I do." Brittany shrugged her shoulders. "So by the way, where is Dani anyway? Doesn't she work here?"

"She's out of town for the week." Santana explained. "She went with her cousin to see the Daft Punk concert in Oakland. They could have gotten tickets to the New York show in a couple of months but Dani said she wanted the adventure."

"I'm surprised you didn't go with them." Brittany glanced over at Santana. "I figured since you and Dani are so serious and all…"

"We're not that serious." Santana stopped Brittany before she got even farther in her conversation. "I mean, we've been together for a bit and although she's exciting and has a lot of love for art and music, we just haven't…clicked. She's more like that cricket that's on your shoulder that tells you right from wrong."

"That's…nice." Brittany nodded her head slowly, trying to think for a moment. "So you're not sure if you're going to be interested in Dani is what you're saying."

"Well I'm interested…but I don't know _how_ interested I am." Santana said. Brittany simply nodded her head, making her way over to the counter to get a milkshake, as Santana stood there almost dumbfounded. Well at least Brittany didn't sound like she was terribly mad at her. Now all she had to do was convince Brittany that she wanted to make amends. It couldn't have been that hard, right?

* * *

Finn sat down on the living room couch that night watching a random reality T.V. series, trying to get his mind off his father and the fact that he was in the city. However, the more Finn tried to distract himself, the more he felt his mind going back to his father. Finn heard the telephone ring, turning to it and staring at his watch. Rachel was supposed to be home later in the evening, so maybe she was calling to check up on him. Finn picked up his phone, realizing that it was a number he had never seen before. He contemplated, finally answering the phone so that he could talk.

"Hello?" Finn asked absentmindedly.

"_Finn?_" Finn tensed up, looking at the phone number and putting the phone to his ear again.

"How did you get my number?" Finn softly asked, not wanting to bring attention to himself, especially with Blaine staying over with Kurt and Santana in her room.

"_That's not important. Finn, look I just wanted to call and say that I'm sorry._" Finn scoffed, rubbing his temples with his free hand.

"When are you going to realize that I don't' want anything to do with you, Christopher." Finn sternly said. "You think I'm stupid? You think I'm just going to fall putty in your hands, then you come out of nowhere and slap me again? What are you going to do this time? Bring a knife to the party and stab me when you get the chance? I don't think so."

"_Finn, I'm apologizing here. What more do you want me to say?"_ Christopher sounded like he was begging, but Finn's mood didn't' change.

"I don't care if you're apologizing." Finn snarled. "You hurt me in more ways than you could possibly imagine. I wanted to get to know you, I did…but if getting to know you means being abused every time you lose your damn temper then I don't want to get to know you. I will tell you this though: you stay away from my family. Stay away from Burt, mom, Kurt and _especially_ Rachel or I swear to god I will kill you. I won't kick your ass, I'll _kill_ you with my bare hands. Got that? Don't get in contact with them, or get into contact with me."

"_Finn, I'm trying to make amends with you."_ Christopher said. _"I promise that I won't hit you ever again, I promise. I had anger management classes in the short time I was in jail. I just wanted you to know that."_

"You did?" Finn's voice softened before it hardened again. "That's too bad. I don't want anything to do with you. You're _dead_ to me." Finn hung up the phone, leaning back on the sofa as he covered his eyes with his hands. Finn got up from sofa a moment later to head into the kitchen in order to get something to eat. As he searched through the fridge for food, he heard the door open, hearing Rachel's shoes as she turned her head to him. "Hey babe." Finn said, his eyes still on the fridge.

"Hi yourself." Rachel wrapped her arms around Finn's neck, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "What are you doing?"

"I'm getting some food to eat, but the problem is I can't decide what I want." Finn continued scanning the fridge, sounding almost distracted. Rachel noticed the distraction in Finn's voice, turning him to her as she put her hands on his cheeks.

"Are you okay, Finn?" Rachel wondered, still gazing into his eyes. Finn let out a deep breath, shaking his head slowly.

"My father called me." Finn admitted, still keeping his eyes on Rachel. "He's trying to apologize but every time I forgive him, he does something to hurt me."

"Finn…" Rachel embraced him, Finn resting his chin on the top of Rachel's head as his eyes closed. "Finn, I think it's time that you go to the police and at least get a restraining order."

"I can't just get a restraining order, Rachel." Finn sighed. "A piece of paper is not going to stop him from getting in contact with me. It's not like there's a gigantic force field between me and him once that paper goes into effect."

"I realize that, Finn." Rachel said. "But you need to do something about him. To be honest baby…he's not going to stop unless he gets what he wants." Finn thought about Rachel's words, snapping his fingers as a smile plastered on his face.

"I have an idea." Finn broke the embrace, going over to his phone as he started dialing the hotel number for his father.

"What's your idea?" Rachel asked, crossing her arms as she stared at him.

"I'm going to meet him, just like he wanted."

"Finn are you crazy?!" Rachel went to grab the phone from him, but Finn used his height as a gain, putting the phone out of her reach. "Finn, you can't do this! You're not going to be alone with him." Finn's smirk was still there, his mind thinking of a plan.

"Who said that I was going to meet him _alone_?"

* * *

Santana was able to convince Brittany to meet her for lunch the next afternoon, so the two of them went to a café in order to talk about how they've been. Santana looked over at Brittany who was still gazing at the menu, trying to figure out if she should say something to her. Brittany finally put the menu down, looking over at Santana, folding her hands in front of her.

"So Brittany…" Santana cleared her throat. "How long is New Directions staying in New York? I mean, this is pretty…insane."

"Well, I don't know. Principal Sylvester said that the school was going to be closed for a bit because she believes education is a waste of our precious youth and it will only teach us how to be robotic drones that listen to every word one hooligan says—kind of like _The Smurfs_."

"Seriously, who made Coach Sylvester principal? Do I have to go Lima Adjacent on that school?" Santana scoffed, thinking that Coach Sylvester wouldn't be the right person to lead the school.

"She pretty much has Janitor Figgins wrapped around her finger." Brittany added.

"Okay, if Figgins is the janitor and Sue is the principal, then Finn must be the president and Rachel must be his secretary that he's screwing in the oval office." Santana rolled her eyes.

"Wait, Finn is Barack Obama in disguise?" Brittany's eyes widened, causing Santana to restrain letting out a groan. "That explains why he keeps trying to change people…and why his ideas cause conflict."

"Anyway…" Santana decided to change the subject. "This whole Michael Jackson assignment better work because I'm running out of ideas in order to help entertain Finn. I'm telling you, Finn must be really depressed because I have never seen him so down before." Santana's phone started to ring, causing Brittany to look interested. Santana pressed a button on her phone, putting it to her ear. "What do you want, Frankenteen?" Brittany continued to stare at Santana, noticing her face was softening. "All right, sure." Santana hung up the phone a moment later, looking over at Brittany. "That was Finn. We're supposed to meet him in some alley tonight, although I'm not sure why."

"I know why…" Brittany let out a small smile as Santana smiled back. "It's the power of…the _Thriller_."

* * *

"If I wanted to crawl through an alley, I would have probably done it by now." Jake sighed, looking over at Finn as the New Directions, Kurt, Santana, Rachel and Finn walked through the dark abandoned alleyway. "Where are we going?"

"We're going to meet someone." Finn mentioned, noticing that the others were a bit confused.

"In a dark alley?" Artie wheeled next to Finn. "Finn, we're not meeting a drug dealer are we? Because we're going to stop you right here and let you know that it's not okay."

"No, we're not meeting a drug dealer." Finn sighed. "It's someone who is pretty much as toxic as a drug dealer without you having to take anything."

"This looks like a scene out of _Beat It_." Kitty stared at the empty alley, noticing they were all wearing some form of black leather. "Finn, this is a little creepy. Can we please get out of here?"

"We can leave in a minute." Finn looked out into the horizon, spotting a person walking towards them. Finn adjusted his black leather jacket close to him, his eyebrows furrowing as he stared into the distance. "He's here…"

"Finn, please be careful." Rachel whispered as Finn started to make his way over to Christopher. Christopher saw Finn, then noticed the New Directions, Kurt, Santana and Rachel were right behind him. Christopher gazed at Finn in confusion, wondering what Finn had up his sleeve.

"What happened? You couldn't leave without your posse?" Christopher gave a hollow chuckle. "Where were they in Lima?"

"I figured in case you tried anything, I wanted to bring my posse just to make sure." Finn shrugged his shoulders. "Never hurts to have backup."

"All right Finn, so what prompted you to call me and ask to meet in an alley? I'm just curious you know." Christopher started circling around Finn, Finn suddenly feeling confident.

"Remember how you said that singing isn't how to become a man?" Finn didn't stare at his father in fear that his confidence would disappear. "Well you're wrong. It's made me more of a man than you will _ever_ be."

"Oh really?" Christopher sneered. "So singing and dancing makes you into a man? No. Singing and dancing isthe _gayest_ thing that you could do. It's so…fruity." Finn felt his face twist into anger, looking over to Christopher.

"How dare you." Finn's voice sounded like it was eerily calm.

"What? Did I offend you or something?" Christopher cackled, as the other New Directions members looked a bit startled.

"No, you didn't offend me…" Finn turned his head towards Blaine and Kurt, then back to Christopher. "But you did offend them. 'Gay' is not a word that can be thrown around like it means nothing. It means something and it means something good to people like my brother and his boyfriend. If you want to be a jackass and a homophobe then you can be one somewhere else…but you're not going to stand here and insult my brother's sexual orientation or anyone's sexual orientation because you're old fashioned. The truth is _this _is what life is now. All right? It's okay for people of the same gender to get married because of love…love is love." Finn felt himself becoming stronger as he started walking towards Christopher with a devilish smirk. "So I don't _EVER_ want to hear you use the word 'gay' like that again. It's not cool with me." Christopher felt threatened by Finn, the first time that he had seen Finn as a stronger person. Christopher didn't like strong Finn…so he took a swung at him. Finn grabbed Christopher's wrist, still glaring at his father, not showing any type of fear. "How about an eye for an eye?" Finn pushed Christopher to the ground, the other New Directions members circling around Christopher in anger. "You think that music is stupid? Well then you're about to get a load of 'stupid'." Finn and the others backed away from Christopher, Christopher staring at the New Directions, Kurt, Santana, Rachel and Finn, wondering what they were going to do to him next.

_{The New Directions start circling Christopher as Finn gives Christopher steely eyes as he simply walks circles around him. Artie, Jake, Ryder and Blaine walk towards Christopher and snarl at him}_

_[Artie]  
They told him don't you ever come around here  
Don't wanna see your face better disappear  
The fire's in their eyes and their words are really clear  
So beat it, just beat it_

_[Blaine]  
You better run better do what you can  
Don't wanna see no blood, be a macho man  
You wanna be tough, better do what you can  
So beat it, but you wanna be bad_

_[Artie and Blaine with Finn, Rachel, Kurt, Santana and New Directions]  
Just beat it, beat it  
Beat it, beat it  
No one wants to be defeated  
Show them how funky strong is your fight  
It doesn't matter who's wrong or right  
Just beat it, just beat it  
Just beat it, just beat it  
Just beat it, just beat it  
Just beat it, just beat it_

_[Santana, Marley and Kurt]  
They're out to get you better leave while you can  
Don't wanna be a boy you wanna be a man  
You wanna stay alive, better do what you can  
So beat it, just beat it_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
You have to show them that you're really not scared  
You're playing with your life, this ain't no truth or dare  
They'll kick you, then they'll beat you  
They'll tell you it's fair  
So beat it, but you wanna be bad_

_[Finn, Rachel and Santana with New Directions]  
Just beat it, beat it  
Beat it, beat it  
No one wants to be defeated  
Show them how funky strong is your fight  
It doesn't matter who's wrong or right_

_[Artie, Blaine, Marley and Kurt with New Directions]  
Just beat it, beat it  
Beat it, beat it  
No one wants to be defeated  
Show them how funky strong is your fight  
It doesn't matter who's wrong or right  
Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it_

_{During the musical break, New Directions, Finn, Rachel, Santana and Kurt all do dance moves inspired from the Michael Jackson 'Beat It' music video}_

_[Artie, Blaine, Santana, Finn, Marley, Rachel and Kurt with New Directions]  
Just beat, beat it  
Beat it, beat it  
No one wants to be defeated  
Show them how funky strong is your fight  
It doesn't matter who's wrong or right_

_Just beat it, beat it  
Beat it, beat it  
No one wants to be defeated  
Show them how funky strong is your fight  
It doesn't matter who's wrong or right_

_Just beat it, just beat it  
Just beat it, just beat it_

_[Finn, Rachel and Artie with New Directions]  
Just beat it!_

Finn slowly walked over to his father, bending down to his level and giving him a glare. Christopher's biggest fear had come to life: Finn was no longer scared of him. Finn had been going through a lot because he thought that he wanted his father's love. Instead, Finn wanted no part of it. He didn't want anyone's love who was destructive and ruthless to their own blood.

"You heard the song," Finn used his leg and kicked Christopher, causing Christopher to let out a groan. "Beat. It." Christopher got up from the floor, walking away from Finn, not realizing that Finn was still eyeing him going down the street, and that tears were flowing down Finn's cheeks. Finn wasn't sure why he was crying, he really didn't know. But maybe this was his body's way of telling him that everything was going to be all right and that all the stress was just coming out after being bottled in for so long. Finn turned his head towards Rachel, seeing that she was smiling at him before he turned back around and crossed his arms with a grin of his own. He did it. He had stood up to his birth father and snapped out of his fear.

* * *

That night at the loft, Santana had invited Brittany over for some dinner and a movie. Santana had finished serving her and Brittany some pasta and chicken, bringing both of the plates to the table with a smile. Brittany grinned with gusto, going to eat some food from the plate. Brittany took a bite, her eyes widening from how good it had tasted. Santana sat down next to Brittany, gazing at her and slowly felt her heart melt as she watched Brittany eat. Brittany looked up, noticing that Santana was staring, raising an eyebrow with interest while Santana looked away.

"What's wrong, Santana?" Brittany wondered. Santana looked back to Brittany, seeing that Brittany had put her fork down to look at her. "Is it because I'm slurping too much again?"

"No, it has nothing to do with that." Santana shook her head, feeling a small smile come on her face. "It's just that…well…I was thinking about…well…"

"What is it? Did Lord Tubbington take your tongue again?" Brittany leaned closer to Santana, becoming concerned.

"No, he didn't." Santana shook her head, feeling herself get emotional. "Brittany, I'm really sorry about everything that's happened. I didn't mean to push you aside and make you feel like you weren't wanted. I didn't mean to make you run off back to Lima probably in tears and I didn't mean for you to feel neglected and sad because the last thing I wanted to do was make you cry, Brittany. That was the last thing I ever wanted to do to you." Brittany continued to gaze at Santana, finally releasing a smile.

"I'm just glad that I have my best friend back." Brittany hugged Santana tightly, Santana reciprocating the hug.

"You really consider me your best friend still? Even after all that I've done to you?" Santana questioned.

"Yes, yes I do." Brittany nodded her head. "Santana, I just want you to know that you're still always going to be my friend no matter who you're dating or what we do. We have too much history to get in between us. I love you."

"I love you too, Brittany." Santana hugged Brittany once more, but as she hugged Brittany, she felt that Brittany was holding on tightly to her. "Brittany are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's just…" Brittany let go of Santana to gaze at her. "I was just thinking about school. I mean, without talking to you I felt so alone even though I had friends there. It made me think that you were the thing that was missing from my life. Do you kind of understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes, yes I do understand what you're saying." Santana nodded her head. "Finn felt the same way about his dad. Look, it's okay to feel that way, but there's something you have to remember, if you don't mind me giving advice. You're not alone. I mean, Finn has Rachel, he has his parents, he has his friends and family. You have me. You don't have to worry about me going anywhere, I promise."

"Are you sure that I can hold you to that?" Brittany asked, letting a small smile flash on her face. "I mean, I really want to make sure I can hold you that." Santana nodded her head, getting up from the table while holding out her hand for Brittany to take. "Where are we going?"

"We're going somewhere magical." Santana headed towards the living room of the loft, seeing Brittany with a wide grin. "And here we are. Sometimes when I'm not sure about where life is going to take me, I usually turn on the radio and listen to some music. The songs really speak to me, you know?"

"So can we listen to music?" Brittany asked innocently. "I mean, it couldn't hurt."

"No, you're right. It can't hurt." Santana smiled, putting on the radio for the both of them to listen to. Santana and Brittany heard a Michael Jackson song on the radio, facing one another as Santana grinned. "Brittany, I know that we haven't sang since last year but—do you want to sing with me? Some songs work better as a duet than a solo?" Brittany nodded her head, taking Santana's hand in hers as they heard the music come alive while they danced.

_{Santana and Brittany start slow dancing around the loft living room as they smile at one another}_

_[Santana]  
Another day has gone  
I'm still all alone  
How could this be  
You're not here with me  
You never said goodbye  
Someone tell me why  
Did you have to go  
And leave my world so cold_

_Everyday I sit and ask myself  
How did love slip away  
Something whispers in my ears and says_

_That you are not alone  
I am here with you  
Though we're far apart  
You're always in my heart  
But you are not alone_

_[Santana and Brittany]  
Lone_

_[Santana]  
Lone  
Why_

_[Santana and Brittany]  
Lone_

_[Brittany]  
Just the other night  
I thought I heard you cry  
Asking me to come  
And hold you in my arms  
I can hear your prayers  
Your burdens I will bare  
But first I need your hand  
Then forever can begin_

_Everyday I sit and ask myself  
How did love slip away  
Something whispers in my ears and says_

_[Brittany and Santana]  
That you are not alone  
I am here with you  
Though we're far away  
You are here to stay  
But you are not alone  
That you are not alone  
I am here with you  
Though we're far apart  
You're always in my heart  
And you are not alone_

_[Santana]  
Whisper three words and I'll come running  
And girl you know that I'll be there  
I'll be there_

_[Santana and Brittany]  
That you are not alone  
I am here with you  
Though we're far away  
I am here to stay  
But you are not alone  
I am here with you  
Though we're far apart  
You're always in my heart_

_That you are not alone (Santana: You are not alone)  
I am here with you (Santana: I'm here with you)  
Though we're far away  
I am here to stay  
But you are not alone  
I am here with you  
Though we're far apart (Santana: You are not alone)  
You're always in my heart _

_For you are not…alone…._

Santana and Brittany found themselves closer to each other's lips and the next thing they know, Santana crashed her lips onto Brittany's, engulfing her in a passionate kiss. Brittany closed her eyes, holding Santana close to her, not saying a single word. After moments, Santana and Brittany parted their lips, gazing into each other's eyes. Santana looked down at Brittany's feet, then back up towards her.

"You know…I'm not exactly _exclusive_ with Dani…" Santana shrugged her shoulders. Brittany grinned as Santana pulled her towards her bedroom with a sly smile, closing the door behind them so they could spend the rest of the night to themselves.

* * *

Finn sat in the NYADA auditorium the next morning, skimming through a couple of song choices for the Sectional Showcase coming up. With the drama with his father, Finn didn't really have time to focus all of his attention on the club. Now, he found the perfect time to do so. Finn heard footsteps enter the auditorium, Finn's signature grin appearing on his face while looking at the sheet of paper. He felt arms go around his neck from behind, looking down at the manicured fingernails that he knew were Rachel's.

"Well hello to you too." Finn smiled, looking up to spot Rachel going over to sit in the seat next to him. Finn gazed over at Rachel, noticing she was fixing her skirt. "Is everything okay?"

"I really should be asking you that." Rachel said, gazing at Finn. "I mean you've been through hell and back the last couple of weeks. It wasn't exactly a fun time for you, you know?"

"Yeah, I know." Finn shrugged his shoulders, closing his book. "I had a lot of time to think last night before I went to bed. I think that there are just some people that shouldn't be in your life for a reason. I think Christopher is one of them. He needs to stay out and he needs to make sure that I don't ever see him again."

"Gee, I didn't know you felt so strongly about this." Rachel turned serious, noticing Finn was folding his hands together. "Of course you have every right to feel that way, I understand completely."

"I have to really, really thank you Rachel." Finn sincerely said, taking her hands in his. "You were there for me at my lowest. At a time where I thought that I needed that lowlife's approval, but in the end I didn't need his approval. All I needed was yours. Besides, I think singing Michael Jackson and then kicking Christopher's ass was the best part." Finn and Rachel laughed, Rachel leaning her head on Finn's shoulder. She looked up at her fiancé, wondering how he was able to stay so strong in such a dark time. Sure he had his moments of breaking down, but he would really try to get better, because he knew that he had other people who loved him as much as he loved himself.

"You're welcome." Rachel intertwined their fingers together, Finn staring down at their hands. "You know Finn, you really are amazing. A lot of people would have found out their father was nothing but a jerk who would put their hands on you when they were angry...and they would do anything to take the pain away. They could cut themselves, commit suicide, end up in rehab because of addictions or eating disorders. But not you…sure, you had a moment where you didn't take care of yourself, but it was because you did too much in a time that it was dark. Those people would probably sit in their rooms all day, finding ways of getting rid of the pain by drinking or smoking or…taking drugs or something. But, you were strong throughout the whole thing. You didn't self-destruct Finn… I don't know how you did it. I guess what I'm trying to say is…I love you so very much, you're my hero…and I am _so _proud of you." Finn pressed a kiss to the top of Rachel's head, holding her close as they sat in the auditorium.

"Hearing those words really means a lot to me, especially since they're coming from you." Finn softly said, nuzzling his nose with hers. "I couldn't imagine leaving you for a moment, just because of one destructive person. We're going to get married, I'm _going_ to become a teacher and you are going to go on Broadway. Then we're going to have a nice house, you're going to win a few Tony awards and then we're going to smash the glass I bought from Chicago and live happily ever after, the end!" Rachel laughed at Finn's childlike wonder, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"If only life was as easy as you described it." Rachel chuckled, embracing Finn into another kiss. Rachel parted her lips from Finn's, getting up from the chair. "Come on. Let's go to the dance studio. There's something that Kurt, Blaine and I wanted to show you."

"But I have to think of something for Sectionals." Finn tried to protest, but of course Rachel wasn't going to have it.

"Come on, preparing for Sectionals can wait for five minutes." Finn got up from his chair as Rachel led him down the hallway to the dance studio. Inside he saw Blaine and Kurt wearing Michael Jackson inspired attire, gazing over at Finn and Rachel.

"Isn't Michael 2.0 week over yet?" Finn half laughed. "I mean, I feel okay—I'm not 100% but I'm close to that."

"Can't we just have one more number?" Blaine asked, raising an eyebrow with a smile. "We noticed that you've been singing your feelings to other people—and you also put up that killer display in front of your dad, amazing dude…"

"But no one has sung to you yet." Kurt added. "So we thought that we could do our own rendition of 'The Way You Make Me Feel', Klaine and Finchel style."

"Why that song?" Finn asked, gazing to his three friends.

"Because you bring us so much happiness and love." Rachel said. "It's the way that you make us feel, that and we didn't get to sing it last year, so what better way to celebrate you're amazing return as the triumphant Mr. Hudson than with a love inspired Michael Jackson musical number?"

"And you guys aren't going to leave me alone until I say yes, right?" Finn chuckled.

"And ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!" Kurt grabbed Finn's arm while Blaine turned up the music to sing Finn one last riveting number.

_{Blaine starts to dance around Finn, Rachel and Kurt as Rachel smiles with a grin. Finn continues to gaze at his friends, as they dance circles around him}_

_[Blaine]  
Hee-Hee!  
Ooh!  
Come on girl!  
Aaow!_

_Hey pretty baby with the high heels on  
You give me fever like I've never ever known  
You're just a product of loveliness  
I like the groove of your walk, your talk, your dress  
I feel your fever from miles around  
I'll pick you up in my car and we'll paint the town  
Just kiss me baby, and tell me twice  
That you're the one for me_

_The way you make me feel  
(Rachel and Kurt: The way you make me feel)  
You really turn me on  
(Rachel and Kurt: You really turn me on)  
You knock me off my feet  
(Rachel and Kurt: You knock me off my feet)  
My lonely days are gone  
(Rachel and Kurt: My lonely days are gone)_

_{Rachel holds Finn's hand as they start dancing along the dance studio, Finn smiling as Rachel gazes up at him. Kurt and Blaine start dancing with each other and Finn smiles to everyone}_

_[Rachel]  
I like the feeling you're giving me  
Just hold me baby and I'm in ecstasy  
Oh, I'll be working from nine to five  
To buy you things to keep you by my side  
I never felt so in love before  
Just promise baby you'll love me forevermore  
I swear I'm keeping you satisfied  
Cause you're the one for me_

_The way you make me feel  
(Blaine, Kurt and Finn: The way you make me feel)  
You really turn me on  
(Blaine, Kurt and Finn: You really turn me on)  
You knock me off my feet  
(Blaine, Kurt and Finn: You knock me off my feet)  
My lonely days are gone  
(Blaine, Kurt and Finn: My lonely days are gone)_

_[Kurt]  
Go on girl!  
Hee-Hee_

_I never felt so in love before  
Just promise baby you'll love me forevermore  
I swear I'm keeping you satisfied  
Cause you're the one for me_

_[Kurt and Blaine]  
The way you make me fee  
(Rachel and Finn: The way you make me feel)  
You really turn me on  
(Rachel and Finn: You really turn me on)  
You knock me off my feet  
(Rachel and Finn: You knock me off my feet)  
My lonely days are gone  
(Rachel and Finn: My lonely days are gone)_

_The way you make me feel  
(Rachel and Finn: The way you make me feel)  
You really turn me on  
(Rachel and Finn: You really turn me on)  
You knock me off my feet  
(Rachel and Finn: You knock me off my feet)  
My lonely days are gone  
(Rachel and Finn: My lonely days are gone)_

_[Blaine, Rachel, Kurt and Finn]  
The way you make me feel!_

_{Finn, Rachel, Blaine and Kurt embark in a group hug as Finn smiles widely}_

* * *

The next afternoon at the diner, Rachel was busy filling up the sugar bowls for the coffee, taking every moment possible to gaze over to see if Finn was okay. He was currently taking orders since Kurt had to call out and take Blaine to the airport. New Directions had gone back to Lima the night before. Finn looked up from his notepad to give Rachel a quick smile, going back down to write the order and making his way to the kitchen. Rachel turned her head back towards the containers, noticing that Santana was standing in front of her, and that she looked very, very flustered.

"Rachel, can I talk to you for a minute?" Santana asked. "I kind of have a problem."

"Sure, no problem." Rachel motioned for Santana to follower to the top balcony, taking two rags so they could clean the railings that were there. It would give them a chance to talk and make it seem as if they were actually busy. Rachel started cleaning the railings while Santana let out a sigh. "What's wrong?"

"Well, you know how Brittany came to New York to help with Finn and all that?" Santana asked, causing Rachel to nod her head.

"Yeah." Rachel said. Santana let out a sigh, running a hand through her hair.

"Well, Brittany and I talked; we had dinner last night…" Santana leaned against the railing putting a hand to her forehead. "We had a really nice time together."

"That's beautiful, Santana." Rachel smiled, rubbing Santana's back lightly. "But I'm afraid that I don't really see the problem here."

"The problem is…I slept with Brittany." Santana admitted. Rachel gazed at Santana in a bit of confusion as Santana wiped a few tears. "Rachel…I…I cheated on Dani with Brittany." Rachel continued to look at Santana in a shocked manner. That was when Rachel let it all sink in—Santana had cheated, and now Santana didn't know what she was going to do. Rachel hugged Santana tightly while Santana sobbed into her. The two girls stood there on the top balcony, not saying another word, letting the silence and Santana's cries speak for itself.

* * *

_**GUEST STARRING**_

_**Kevin McHale as Artie Abrams**_

_**Heather Morris as Brittany Pierce**_

_**Darren Criss as Blaine Anderson**_

_**Melissa Benoist as Marley Rose**_

_**Jacob Artist as Jake Puckerman**_

_**Blake Jenner as Ryder Lynn**_

_**Becca Tobin as Kitty Wilde**_

_**Jenna Ushkowitz as Tina Cohen-Chang**_

_**Chord Overstreet as Sam Evans**_

_**Alex Newell as Wade "Unique" Adams**_

_**SONG(S):**_

_**Don't Stop Till You Get Enough (Originally by Michael Jackson): Performed by Artie Abrams, Marley Rose, Brittany Pierce and Finn Hudson with New Directions**_

_**Beat It (Originally by Michael Jackson): Performed by Artie Abrams, Blaine Anderson, Santana Lopez, Marley Rose, Kurt Hummel, Finn Hudson and Rachel Berry with New Directions**_

_**You're Not Alone (Originally by Michael Jackson): Performed by Santana Lopez and Brittany Pierce**_

_**The Way You Make Me Feel (Originally by Michael Jackson): Performed by Blaine Anderson, Rachel Berry, Kurt Hummel and Finn Hudson**_


	18. 1x18: Wrecking Ball

**_Episode Synopsis: _**_Shelby (**Idina Menzel**) comes for a visit and assists Rachel in finding a song for her _Funny Girl_ callback. Finn agrees to babysit Shelby's daughter Beth in hopes of preparing himself for when he and Rachel are ready to have a child of their own. Kurt tries to get down to the bottom of what book Finn is reading, especially after Finn refuses to tell him. Santana worries how Dani will take the news of Santana sleeping with Brittany.__  
_

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I do not own Glee but I wish I did. _

**_Note:_**_ Thank you all for the reviews the last chapter and I'm glad that the Michael Jackson tribute was well received. This episode is more of a "fluff" episode, but I thought it would be fun to write since there's been a lot of drama. That and I always tried to picture what it would be like for Finn to babysit a baby. Also, one of Kurt's famous dances is in this episode, so keep reading for that. Enough of my rambling, here's the next episode! :)_

* * *

Finn could have thought of a million things to do in the loft on a rainy lazy afternoon. He could have been working on sheet music for the Glee Club since their Sectionals was coming up. He could have been attempting to learn a new dish just because his parents suggested that he try something new while he was in the big city. Finn could have also cleaned out his drawers in his bedroom after Rachel suggested (or more likely _told_ him) to get himself organized. Instead, Finn was sitting on the couch with a blanket over him, reading a book with a cup of hot chocolate next to him. There was nothing better to do since everyone else was out of the loft for the afternoon. Kurt was finishing his shift, Santana went to the record store since Dani was still out of town, and Rachel was finishing an assignment at school. So there was Finn, reading a book on the couch, something he couldn't do with Rachel, Kurt and Santana home. He wasn't embarrassed that he was reading a book. He was more embarrassed about the book he was _reading_. If Santana, Kurt or Rachel ever found out the book he was reading, he'd never live it down. They'd consider it a 'girls book' or just surprised that he was actually _reading_. Finn continued to read the book, getting so into it, that he almost didn't hear the door open to the loft. Finn whiplashed his head towards the door, seeing Kurt enter the apartment after a long day at work.

"Hey Finn." Kurt waved his hand towards his brother, going to the bathroom so that his umbrella could dry in the bathtub. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, you know…me just watching television with hot chocolate." Finn took a sip of his hot chocolate, but Kurt looked at the television in confusion.

"But the television is off." Kurt pointed out.

"Yeah, they were giving nothing but junk." Finn put the book behind his back and lay back on the couch, trying not to be suspicious to his brother. "I mean there really was nothing on television."

"Okay, okay." Kurt put his hand up, but he was becoming suspicious of his brother's actions. "So, did you hear from Rachel or Santana all day?"

"Yeah, Rachel should be home in like an hour." Finn looked at his phone for the time. "I think she's also trying to prepare for her audition. She has to be nervous."

"Yeah, I mean this is a big deal." Kurt came and sat next to Finn on the couch, noticing that Finn was moving over quickly. "All right Finn, what's going on?"

"What? Nothing." Finn shook his head, grabbing the book before Kurt could get a glimpse at it and started to head towards his room.

"Finn, are you reading a book?" Kurt tried to contain his laughter. "I can't remember the last time you actually sat down and tried to read a book."

"Yes, I'm reading a book." Finn sighed, still making his way to his room.

"There's nothing embarrassing about reading a book." Kurt tried to assure him. "I actually think it's nice that you're being intellectual about this. So, what book are you reading? It obviously has to have piqued your interest."

"How about, I don't tell you what it is." Finn smirked as he closed the room door. Kurt tapped his chin, knowing that he was going to have to get it out of his brother eventually. Kurt started to head back to the living room, his mind still occupied on what Finn was reading. He wasn't sure why he was obsessing, but it had to be something that was downright embarrassing. Kurt looked to the door, spotting Rachel entering with a bunch of sheet music.

"Hey Rachel, what's that?" Kurt wondered.

"A bunch of sheet music that I'm going to look through for my _Funny Girl_ callback." Rachel answered, keeping her eyes on the papers. "What have you been doing, and where's Finn?"

"Finn's in your room…and he's reading a book." Kurt crossed his arms, becoming deep in thought.

"Oh." Rachel shrugged her shoulders making her way to the couch. Kurt followed Rachel; sitting down beside her while she studied the music. "That's nice."

"Wait, that's all you have to say about that?" Kurt glanced at Rachel, shaking his head in misperception. "You're not interested in _what_ Finn is reading?"

"Not really, no." Rachel shook her head. "Why are you obsessing over what Finn is reading?_ I'm_ not even that interested."

"Because Finn _never_ reads a book, Rachel." Kurt tried to instill logic. "It was almost like—scary. Do you _know _how hard it was to get Finn to read a book in school? I didn't think it was possible. I'm going to find out what that book is…but I'm going to need your help. I'm going to need you to have sex with him, keep him busy so it gives me enough time to steal the book. That way when I find out, Finn will still be on Cloud 9 and won't be angry with me."

"Wait, what?" Rachel scrunched her face, shaking her head quickly. "I'm not having sex with Finn just so you could take his book. Look, if he wants to read then let him read." Rachel and Kurt heard a knock at the door, causing Rachel to become disordered. "Did Santana leave her key somewhere in this house again? I can't keep opening the door for her every time she loses the key." Rachel opened the door to the loft, her expression turning into shock. After the shock wore off, Rachel's face turned into a smile to the person at the door. "Shelby."

"Rachel." Shelby hugged her daughter tightly, Rachel looking down to see a little girl standing there, looking at Rachel with huge eyes.

"Oh my goodness, is this Beth?" Rachel bent down, seeing the little girl gaze at Rachel with a shy expression. "Hi Beth." Beth waved to Rachel as Shelby went down to pick Beth up.

"Beth just wanted to come and see you." Shelby smiled. "Besides, it's not every day that we get to come to the city and see you…I mean we do since I run a daycare business for Broadway babies but, it's just nice to see you again."

"It's great to see you." Rachel opened the door more, motioning for Shelby and Beth to enter. "Come in, come in." Shelby and Beth looked around, spotting Kurt sitting on the loft couch.

"Hi Kurt." Shelby waved to him. "How's everything?"

"Great, except Finn is keeping a secret from me." Kurt got up from the loft sofa, heading to the kitchen to get a snack. Shelby looked to Rachel, scratching her head in misunderstanding.

"It's about a book. Don't worry about it." Rachel said in order to prevent Shelby from fueling Kurt's fire. As if on cue, Finn came into the living room as he looked down at his sheet music, trying to find something for the Glee Club.

"Hey Rachel, I was wondering if you…" Finn looked up to spot Shelby, turning back to Rachel with a smile on his face. "Oh, hi there Shelby."

"Finn, I didn't know you were here…" Shelby shook Finn's hand, keeping her eyebrow raised and an amused smile on her face. "Your mother said that you were in the army."

"Yeah, that's where I had envisioned myself too." Finn nodded his head. "Instead I'm in New York, going to school. You know." Finn looked down to see Beth staring at him, and it looked like she was intrigued with Finn. Finn bent down to Beth's level, using his 'baby voice' to talk to her. "And is this Beth? Wow Beth, you're such a big girl! Aren't you a cutie!" Rachel's heart melted at Finn's interaction with Beth, noticing that he was shaking her little hand and she was smiling at him. "Oh goodness, you are so cute that I can just eat you up!" Finn cooed Beth. "Yes I can! Yes I can!" Beth started giggling at Finn as Shelby leaned closer to Rachel.

"She never giggles at anyone she hasn't met before." Shelby whispered.

"I guess Beth really likes Finn." Rachel stared, seeing the baby and the teenager bonding on the floor. "Hey, Shelby…I need your help."

"Does it have to do with your _Funny Girl_ callback?" Shelby wondered.

"How did you know about that?" Rachel asked, seeming surprised.

"You started posting as Barbra on Facebook, honey." Shelby simply said. "Look, I know that you're nervous about your audition but there's no need to be. How about this? How about I help you find the perfect callback song. We may not find it right now but we can get ideas."

"All right, that sounds great." Rachel nodded her head, going over to the sheets of music and trying to find the perfect song. "How about we work at NYADA? There would be fewer distractions than here."

"That sounds great, but what am I going to do with Beth? I don't think NYADA would want a little baby that touches everything in their school." Shelby reasoned. Finn got up from the floor, staring at Shelby.

"I can babysit Beth if you want." Finn said. Shelby seemed a bit skeptical, letting a 19-year-old babysit a little baby. Although, Beth already _did_ like Finn. "I'm sure she'd be no trouble at all, and it's not like I'll be alone. I'll have Kurt and Santana here to help me."

"Well Shelby, it can't hurt." Rachel shrugged her shoulders. "Finn has always wanted to babysit. He never really had a chance to since Kurt's his age." Shelby noticed Beth playing with the shoelaces on Finn's shoes, finally relenting.

"All right, it can't hurt now can it?" Shelby went into her bag and took a few things out. "Here's Beth's bottle, a few of her toys and some baby food in case she gets hungry. Here's my number in case things don't run smoothly. She should be fine though."

"Don't worry, we're going to have a great time together." Finn assured Shelby, looking down at Beth. His 'baby' voice came back as he picked Beth up from the floor. "Did you hear that Beth? We're going to spend the afternoon together while your mommy helps your sister get a role on Broadway. Yay!" Beth clapped her hands as Finn chuckled, causing Rachel and Shelby to grin.

"All right, well we're probably going to be out till later so if anything you have Santana and Kurt." Rachel reminded him. "Are you sure that you have everything under control?"

"I have everything under control. I promise." Finn said. "Go, have fun." Finn said as Rachel kissed Finn's cheek.

"You are the best and I love you." Rachel grinned, heading out the door with Shelby.

"This will be good practice. Love you too." Finn waved as Shelby and Rachel closed the door. Finn put Beth down on the floor, getting an idea. "Come on Beth. Let's go to my computer so we can get some pictures for you to color. I should have a box of crayons around here somewhere." Finn and Beth made their way to the computer, Finn sitting down to look for some coloring pages in order to keep Beth busy. "Ah, here's one Beth. We could color a castle! We could color a puppy! Or how about we color a fairy princess! Doesn't that sound like fun?" Finn turned around to see Beth gazing at him with a cute smile. Finn felt his heart almost explode of cuteness as he continued to look at Beth with a grin. "So which one do you want to do? The castle, the puppy or the fairy princess?"

"Princess!" Beth giggled as Finn nodded his head.

"All right, princess it is." Finn started to print out the color pages as he heard the door unlock, noticing Santana coming in the room and heading straight to her room. "Hey San." Finn called from the computer. Finn heard the door slam, turning around to see if everything was all right. "Santana?" Beth continued to look at Finn, giving him a lopsided grin as she ran over to the loft couch to go sit down. Finn could worry about what was wrong with Santana later. Right now, he had to entertain a two-year old. "All right, Beth. Let's color a princess!"

* * *

"We are never going to find a song here!" Rachel exclaimed, still staring at the sheets of music.

"Don't worry Rachel, we'll find something." Shelby assured her, continuing to skim through the sheets of paper. "We have time." Shelby picked up a song sheet from the box, gazing at it while looking over at Rachel. "I'm not sure if this song is just right yet, but we could try it in the meantime in order to warm up our bones. Besides, it would give me an excuse to sing with you again." Rachel grinned, walking over to her mother and squeezing her hand while the pianist started playing the song on the piano.

_{Rachel and Shelby smile at each other as the pianist starts playing the song on the piano, Rachel reading the lyrics from the sheet music}_

_[Rachel]  
I've never seen a diamond in the flesh  
I cut my teeth on wedding rings in the movies  
And I'm not proud of my address  
In a torn up town, no post code envy_

_[Rachel and Shelby]  
But every song's like gold teeth, grey goose, tripping in the bathroom  
Blood stains, ball gowns, trashing a hotel room  
We don't care, we're driving Cadillac's in our dreams  
But everybody's like Cristal, Maybach, diamonds in your timepiece  
Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash  
We don't care, we're not caught up in your love affair_

_[Rachel]  
And we'll never be royals (Rachel and Shelby: Royals)  
It don't run in our blood  
That kind of luxe just ain't for us  
We crave a different kind of buzz  
Let me be your ruler (Rachel and Shelby: Ruler)  
You can call me Queen Bee  
And baby I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule  
Let me live that fantasy_

_[Shelby]  
My friends and I—we've cracked the code  
We count our dollars on the train to the party  
And everyone who knows us knows that we're fine with this  
We didn't come for money_

_[Shelby and Rachel]  
But every song's like gold teeth, grey goose, tripping in the bathroom  
Blood stains, ball gowns, trashing a hotel room  
We don't care, we're driving Cadillac's in our dreams  
But everybody's like Cristal, Maybach, diamonds in your timepiece  
Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash  
We don't care, we're not caught up in your love affair_

_[Rachel]  
And we'll never be royals (Rachel and Shelby: Royals)  
It don't run in our blood  
That kind of luxe just ain't for us  
We crave a different kind of buzz  
Let me be your ruler (Rachel and Shelby: Ruler)  
You can call me Queen Bee  
And baby I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule  
Let me live that fantasy_

_[Rachel and Shelby]  
Ooh, Ooh, Oh  
We're bigger than we ever dreamed  
And I'm in love with being queen  
Ooh, ooh, oh  
Life is great without a care  
We aren't caught up in your love affair_

_[Rachel]  
And we'll never be royals (Rachel and Shelby: Royals)  
It don't run in our blood  
That kind of luxe just ain't for us  
We crave a different kind of buzz  
Let me be your ruler (Rachel and Shelby: Ruler)  
You can call me Queen Bee  
And baby I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule  
Let me live that fantasy_

After the song, Rachel and Shelby embraced, Rachel thinking about the song and the context before looking up at Shelby with a sly smile.

"Was that song just to get me to lighten up?" Rachel giggled.

"That might have had something to do with it." Shelby replied coyly. Rachel held onto her mother tightly, finally looking down at the box of sheet music, picking one of them up and eyeing the song intently. She looked to Shelby as the two women stood there with a smile. This was it. Rachel had found her song.

* * *

"Here comes the choo-choo train! Chugga-Chugga-Chugga-Chugga, CHOO-CHOO!" Finn sat down with Beth on the couch a few hours later as he fed Beth. Beth giggled and opened her mouth as soon as the spoon got close to her mouth, chewing the squash with gusto. Finn took another spoonful from the cup, noticing Beth finished swallowing and was ready for more. "What's that? It's an airplane, Beth! And it needs somewhere to land! Brr-Brr-Brr!" Beth clapped her hands, putting the food in her mouth as Finn chuckled towards her. Santana entered the living room, spotting Finn with Beth, her eyebrows going up with interest.

"Since when did you and Rachel have a child?" Santana questioned. Finn gave Santana a smirk, looking down to Beth as Beth stared up at him wanting more food.

"Very funny. This is Beth, Shelby's kid. I'm babysitting while Shelby's helping Rachel with her audition." Finn said to Santana, his voice turning bright and chipper as he looked to Beth. "Look Beth! It's a helicopter, and there's nowhere for it to land!" Beth had her mouth open as soon as Finn brought the spoon down to her mouth.

"So now we know what makes you melt, little children." Santana shook her head, walking towards the kitchen as Finn finished feeding Beth.

"Oh look Beth, the food's all gone! Yay!" Finn put the glass jar down and clapped his hands, noticing Beth was clapping her hands along with him. "All right, come on. Let's go to the kitchen to throw this out, and then we can watch T.V. What do you want to watch?"

"_Sessie Street!_" Beth squealed with happiness. Finn didn't know what 'Sessie Street_' _was, until he realized Beth was two and didn't know how to speak proper English. Finn thought about it for a moment, nodding his head after getting what she was talking about.

"Oh! _Sesame Street_. Okay, we can watch _Sesame Street_." Finn picked Beth up while taking the empty jar, heading into the kitchen—when they spotted Santana wiping a few tears from her face. Finn put Beth down on the floor so he could talk to Santana. There was something obviously bothering her. "Hey, Beth. Why don't you go to the living room and wait for me there, okay? I'll be there in a minute to put on the T.V." Beth giggled, running back to the television as Finn walked over to Santana. "Santana, what's wrong?" Santana tried to explain that she wanted Finn to go away, but she didn't even have the strength to do so. Instead, Santana went into Finn's arms, crying into his chest as Finn wrapped his arms around Santana in a bear hug. "Shh, it's okay." Finn soothingly said as Santana continued to cry.

* * *

Kurt, Santana and Finn sat down on the couch while Beth was into the television a little while later, just watching their hearts fill up slightly with joy every time Beth laughed and squealed at watching Cookie Monster or Big Bird. Santana secretly was glad that Finn was babysitting, that way the house wouldn't have been so depressing.

"So Santana, is everything okay?" Kurt whispered, not wanting Beth to know that the grownups were talking. "I mean from what Finn told me, you just broke down in the kitchen."

"Well how the hell am I supposed to feel right now?" Santana glared at Finn and Kurt, realizing that she sounded as if she was bitter with them. Her expression softened, Santana putting a hand on Finn's shoulder. "Sorry, it's just that…I did something and I felt terrible. I don't know what I'm going to do."

"Well we can't help you if we don't know what you did…" Kurt sighed, placing a hand on Santana's leg. Santana gazed at Kurt, letting out a sigh.

"Remember when Brittany was here?" Santana started to say, causing Finn and Kurt to raise their eyebrows towards her. "Well, I kind of slept with Brittany—and I'm still dating Dani."

"Wow, you actually feel bad for cheating." Kurt sounded amused. "Sorry, it's just that everyone cheated on everyone in Glee Club and no one seemed to feel bad…for anyone."

"Anyway, Santana does Dani know about this?" Finn asked, beginning to feel worried for his friend.

"No, that's just it. She doesn't know about it." Santana sighed, running a hand through her hair. "If I tell Dani what I did with Brittany then Dani is going to break up with me."

"No she won't." Finn said. "She'll be mad, but she'll probably need time."

"Yeah, you mean like when Rachel cheated with Puck because you had sex with Santana?" Kurt looked at both Santana and Finn, unaware that Beth was still in the room.

"COME BACK!" Finn, Santana and Kurt whiplashed their heads towards Beth, who was screaming at the television in anger. "Elmo, come back!' Beth sat down on the floor and started to cry, causing Finn to get up from the couch and make his way to the two-year-old.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Finn softly asked Beth. Beth continued pointing while Finn looked at the T.V. "Did the show finish?"

"Yeah, the show's over and she probably thinks they're gone for good." Kurt said.

"No, no…they'll be back later." Finn told Beth with a small smile on her face. "They'll be back. They just went to…sleep."

"They went to sleep?" Santana shook her head to Finn, letting out a scoff.

"Yes Santana, the characters on Sesame Street went to sleep." Finn turned to Santana, silently begging her to play along for Beth's sake. Finn focused on Beth again, noticing that her tears were still falling down her face. "Hey Beth, do you like music? We can play some music if you like." Beth stopped crying for a moment, wiping a few of her tears while Finn wiped some tears as well. Beth took Finn's arm and blew her nose into Finn's sleeve, Santana and Kurt stifling their giggles. After a few blows and possibly some boogers on Finn's shirt, Beth removed her nose, looking Finn into his eyes slightly apologetically.

"Sowwy…" Beth softly said. Finn chuckled softly, bringing Beth closer to him.

"It's all right. My shirt was dirty anyway." Finn looked to Kurt, giving his brother a small smile. "Hey Kurt, go get my guitar from my room." Kurt got up from the sofa, heading towards Finn's room in an instant. There was something that Kurt had to do in there anyway.

* * *

Kurt entered Finn and Rachel's room, noticing Finn's guitar in the corner of the room—but there was something that Kurt wanted even more. He wanted to find that book that Finn was reading, since it had to be slightly embarrassing for Finn to not even show him the cover. Kurt searched high and low for the book, opening drawers, opening the closet and even looking under Finn and Rachel's bed. Kurt snapped his fingers in disbelief—the book wasn't in here. Kurt decided to give up for now, grabbing Finn's guitar in order to head towards the exit. There, Kurt saw Santana looking right at him with a chortle.

"I know that you were trying to find something that belonged to Finn." Santana said.

"How did you know that?" Kurt wondered. "I was looking for…"

"Something that Finn wouldn't show you. I know the drill, Kurt." Santana walked towards Kurt, her smirk appearing on her face. "So what were you looking for? This I have to know."

"Well, I was kind of looking for that book Finn was reading." Kurt admitted.

"Finn reads?" Santana seemed surprised. "Finn never struck me as the person that would pick up a book. Really?"

"Really, he reads." Kurt said. "Now if we can move on, I need to find that book while he's distracted. Rachel didn't help since she passed up having sex with Finn."

"You wanted them to be like two little bunny rabbits that first met in the springtime, obviously in heat, looking to make little bunny babies?" Santana sounded a bit disgusted.

"No, well…not for the bunny babies' part. I just wanted Rachel to keep him busy, but now Rachel is rehearsing for her callback and Finn is babysitting." Kurt sighed.

"Which means Finn is busy." Santana pointed out the obvious. "Finn is chasing a two-year old around the house and you're going to pass that up in order to see where he hides that book? I mean come on now."

"_Kurt! Did you find my guitar?!"_ Finn shouted from the living room. Kurt and Santana looked at the guitar as Kurt nodded his head.

"Yeah, we found it. We'll be there in a second!" Kurt called out. He then faced Santana, his mind whirring. "I'll think of where Finn keeps that book."

"And I have to find a way to tell my girlfriend that I slept with my ex-girlfriend." Santana added. "See who has the real problem now, Kurt?" Santana and Kurt exited Finn and Rachel's room, spotting Finn and Beth sitting on the loft floor.

"Oh, thanks." Finn grabbed the guitar from Kurt, putting it around his body. Beth looked intrigued with the guitar, running her fingers along the wooden part of it. "Do you like it Beth? Here, let me show you something. When you pluck these strings, they make music. Here, let me show you." Finn made a chord and strummed the guitar strings, seeing that Beth was fascinated. Her eyes widened and a smile appeared on her face. "And if I play a few chords at the same time, it makes a song. Watch." Finn played a few chords as Santana and Kurt smiled at the interaction. Beth clapped her hands while Finn played the guitar, causing Finn to smile at her. "All right, do you want to try something really, really cool?" Beth quickly nodded her head, causing Finn to laugh. "All right, here's what you're going to do. You're going to clap, just like that. Can you do that for me? We're going to sing a little song." Beth nodded her head, clapping her hands at a surprisingly good rhythm while Santana and Kurt clapped along with Beth in order to be her guide. Finn started strumming a couple chords, looking at Beth with a happy smile as he started to sing, and it wasn't long until Kurt and Santana joined him.

_{Finn strums chords on the guitar, looking at Beth while Santana, Kurt and Beth clap their hands}_

_[Finn]  
Ho, Hey  
Ho, Hey_

_I've been trying to do it right  
I've been living a lonely life  
I've been sleeping here instead  
I've been sleeping in my bed  
I've been sleeping in my bed_

_[Kurt]  
So show me family  
All the blood that I would bleed_

_[Finn]_  
_I don't know where I belong_  
_I don't know where I went wrong_  
_But I can write a song_

_[Finn with Kurt and Santana]_  
_I belong with you_  
_You belong with me_  
_You're my sweetheart_  
_I belong with you_  
_You belong with me_  
_You're my sweetheart_

_Ho, Hey  
Ho, Hey_

_[Finn]  
I don't think you're right for him  
Look at what it might have been_

_[Santana]_  
_Took a bus to Chinatown_  
_I'd be standing on Canal…and Bowery_

_[Finn]  
She'll be standing next to me_

_[Finn, Kurt and Santana]  
I belong with you  
You belong with me  
You're my sweetheart  
I belong with you  
You belong with me  
You're my sweetheart_

_[Finn]  
Love, we need it now  
Let's hope for some  
Cause oh, we're bleeding out_

_[Finn, Kurt and Santana]_  
_I belong with you_  
_You belong with me_  
_You're my sweetheart_  
_I belong with you_  
_You belong with me_  
_You're my sweetheart (Kurt and Santana: Ho! Hey! Ho!)_

_[Finn, Santana and Kurt]  
HEY!_

Beth continued clapping her hands, giggling as Finn took off the guitar and put it to the side. Beth started dancing to the best of her ability, which gave Kurt a great idea. Kurt picked up Beth, staring at Finn and Santana.

"So, I was thinking…what if we entertain Beth…" Kurt smirked.

"How?" Finn asked, crossing his arms to his brother.

"How about we entertain her with some dancing? She seems to like dancing a lot, don't you Beth?" Beth giggled, clapping her hands at Kurt.

"All right, so what are we going to dance?" Santana questioned, noticing that Kurt started doing the hand dance from the Beyoncé video "Single Ladies".

"What?" Finn shook his head. "I'm not dancing the Single Ladies dance. Once in my life was enough."

"Oh come on, Finn. Are you really going to deny this face?" Kurt looked at Beth and in a comical moment, Beth's face turned into a pout. Finn tried to argue it, but Santana and Kurt shook their heads with a smirk of their own. Finn relented, nodding his head slowly.

"All right, I'll do the Single Ladies dance." Finn said. "But I'm not wearing a leotard."

"Oh really?" Kurt smirked while Santana let out a laugh. Finn's face turned into horror once again, noticing that they were serious in getting him in a leotard. Finn groaned as Kurt pulled him towards his bedroom. They were going to put a show on for Beth. If she couldn't have her _Sesame Street_, she was going to have to have Finn, Kurt and Santana entertain her.

* * *

"Good evening ladies and…Beth!" Kurt said fifteen minutes later with Beth sitting on the loft couch, clapping her little hands. "It's the show that you all have been waiting for! It is Cirque De Single Ladies! Are you ready for a good time, little Beth?" Beth clapped her hands, Kurt turning over to the iPod dock as he pressed play.

_{Kurt starts doing the Single Ladies Dance as Beth starts cheering}_

_[Beyoncé}  
All the single ladies (All the single ladies)  
All the single ladies (All the single ladies)  
All the single ladies (All the single ladies)  
All the single lades (Now put your hands up)_

_Up in the club, we just broke up  
Doing my own little thing  
You decided to dip and now you wanna trip  
Cause another brother noticed me  
I'm up on him, he up on me  
Don't pay him any attention  
Cause I cried my tears  
For three good years  
You can't be mad at me_

_{Santana joins Kurt in a black female leotard as Santana and Kurt smirk while doing the Single Ladies dance}_

_Cause if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it  
If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it  
Don't be mad once you see that he want it  
If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it  
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh  
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh  
Cause if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it  
If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it  
Don't be mad once you see that he want it  
If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it_

_{Finn grudgingly comes out in a black male leotard, small tie and one of Rachel's high heels as Santana and Kurt laugh while dancing. Finn, Santana and Kurt dance while Beth laughs and claps her hands.}_

_I got gloss on my lips, a man lips  
Hold me tighter than my Dereon jeans  
Acting up, drink in my cup  
I could care less what you think  
I need no permission, did I mention  
Don't pay him any attention  
Cause you had your turn  
And now you're going to learn  
What it really feels like to miss Bee_

_{Rachel and Shelby come in the house and they see Finn, Santana and Kurt dancing the Single Ladies dance as they look a bit shocked}_

_Cause if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it  
If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it  
Don't be mad once you see that he want it  
If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it  
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh  
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh  
Cause if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it  
If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it  
Don't be mad once you see that he want it  
If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it_

_Whoa-oh-oh_

"YAY!" Beth stood up on the couch, clapping for Finn, Santana and Kurt while Rachel and Shelby looked to one another. Apparently, many things were done in the couple of hours they were gone. Beth noticed Shelby standing at the doorway as she got down from the sofa.

"Hey, where you going?" Finn asked, his eyes following where Beth was running. Finn looked up to see Rachel and Shelby—and suddenly felt _very_ embarrassed with what he was wearing. Rachel stifled a giggle, looking at Finn from head to toe. "And….I think it's time I go and change." Finn started walking back to his and Rachel's room, the high heels clicking while Rachel smiled.

"Finn? Are those my shoes?" Rachel said in amusement.

"Yes…" Finn spoke in embarrassment, leaning his head on the wall. "Yes they are." Finn entered the room and closed the door while Rachel chuckled.

"Yeah, I thought so." Rachel went to the kitchen to put down her purse while laughing quietly.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Finn came out dressed in his normal clothes, spotting Shelby and Rachel sitting in the kitchen while Beth babbled to Shelby. Finn entered the kitchen, sitting down in the seat across from Shelby, folding his hands. Shelby continued to laugh at Beth's babbling, but when Beth saw Finn sitting across from her, she motioned that she wanted to sit in his lap. Finn chuckled as Shelby handed Beth over to him. Finn looked at her, seeing that she was looking up at him with a smile.

"Beth was just telling me of the wonderful afternoon you guys had." Shelby said, looking over to Rachel. "I really hope she wasn't any trouble."

"She was no trouble at all." Finn insisted, smiling down at Beth. "She was an angel. And we had so much fun! We watched Sessie Street, we colored pictures, we played music and we danced, right Beth!" Beth giggled at Finn's silly voice.

"Well thank you Finn, I really appreciate it." Shelby grinned to him. "Beth, we have to say goodbye to Finn so we can go home."

"No." Beth shook her head, clutching to Finn tightly. "I like Unkie Finn!"

"Unkie Finn?" Shelby looked at Beth, seeing Finn was smiling at Beth.

"Beth, I _loved_ having you here, but you have to go home with Shelby." Finn saw Beth pout, causing him to let out a grin. "How about this? How about I babysit for you again, does that sound like fun?"

"That sounds like a great idea." Shelby quickly agreed, noticing how quickly Beth had bonded with Finn.

"Yeah!" Beth clapped her hands while Finn hugged her tightly. Beth stared at Finn, picking up her hand and twisting it back and forth, just like in the "Single Ladies" dance. Finn laughed, picking up his own hand and doing his own version of the "Single Ladies" hand dance. Shelby went over to get Beth, but as she picked up Beth from Finn's lap, Beth pressed a small kiss to Finn's cheek, causing him and Rachel to beam widely.

"Come on Finn, let's walk Shelby and Beth out." Rachel insisted, getting up from the chair and Finn following. Finn, Rachel, Shelby and Beth said their goodbyes, and as soon as Shelby and Beth left, Rachel closed the loft door, gazing over at Finn. "You did a fantastic job with Beth today, Finn. I'm so proud of you."

"Aw, thanks." Finn hugged Rachel tightly, looking down at her. "It's just…I had so much fun with her…can I tell you something?"

"Sure, of course." Finn led Rachel over to the couch, sitting her down as he stared at her.

"There was kind of a reason that I asked to babysit Beth today." Finn sighed. "I was preparing…you know, for when time comes and we decide to have a baby…I wanted to have just a little bit of experience under my belt. I know all kids aren't like Beth but…it was fun…except for the part where she cried for five minutes because _Sesame Street_ finished."

"What did you do to get her to stop crying?" Rachel asked, becoming intrigued.

"Well, what I did was that I asked her if she wanted to hear a song. So Kurt, Santana and I sang Beth a song. Then it turned out that she liked dancing more and we danced for her." Finn chuckled. "I think today was the most fun, relaxing day that I've had in a long time." Rachel leaned closer to Finn, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"You are so smart, Finn." Rachel proudly looked into his eyes.

"I'm smart? Really?" Finn asked, scratching his head with his hand.

"You knew _exactly_ what to do in order to get her to stop crying. You went to your gut—and you sang to her." Rachel smiled. "She seems to really like you. She wants you to babysit her again. Shelby says that Beth usually isn't nice to strangers."

"Well, I'm glad she took a liking to me." Finn nervously chuckled, looking away from Rachel. Rachel put a hand on Finn's cheeks, gazing into his eyes.

"Do you know why she liked you so much?" Finn shook his head at Rachel's question. "It's because she saw something special in you. She knew that there was something fun and exciting about you. Sometimes thinking just like a child really helps, and it helped in this case because you were able to bond with her. I really, really am proud of you. The proudest I've been of you in my entire life. Just so you know Finn, you are going to be an _amazing_ father when the time comes."

"Really?" Finn seemed slightly skeptical, but Rachel leaned closer to his lips.

"I guarantee it." Rachel murmured before pressing her lips to Finn's. Finn and Rachel were lost in their own little world until—

"AHA!" Finn jumped away from Rachel, looking to see that it was Kurt who interrupted them—and he had a book in his hand. "I knew it! I found the book that you were reading Finn! I found it!"

"What book was Finn reading?" Rachel asked, looking over at Finn.

"He was reading…a music book!" Kurt showed Rachel the book with guitar chords. "I knew it; I knew he was reading a book that had to do with music or something like that!"

"Oh boy, you got me Kurt." Finn put his hands up in mock defeat, but Kurt was too into the moment to listen to Finn.

"I finally got you brother." Kurt walked away from Finn and Rachel, hearing Kurt's room door shut. Finn shook his head, noticing that Rachel was still looking over at him.

"I know that the guitar book wasn't the real book you were reading earlier." Rachel said. Finn felt bad for not telling Rachel what he was reading, so that was when he decided he was going to do it. He was going to tell Rachel. Finn got up from the sofa, motioning Rachel to follow him. Finn entered their bedroom, closing the door behind him as he went over to the closet and entered his suitcase.

"Before I show you the book, you have to promise that you're not going to laugh at me." Finn sighed. Rachel sat on the bed, crossing her arms with a supportive smile.

"I promise I won't laugh at you." Rachel vowed. Finn pulled the book out of his suitcase, throwing it on the bed for Rachel to take a good look at it. Rachel raised her eyebrow, the smile still on her face as she saw the title of the book. "Finn, you're reading _50 Shades of Grey_? You never struck me as a chick flick, erotica, romance novel person."

"I saw it at the public library and I read a couple chapters while I was on line to take out some DVD's." Finn explained. "Everyone else was reading it so I figured, why not. Except when I got on the train with the book I noticed that everyone that was reading the book were females who wanted to have sex with Christian Grey even though he's a fictional character. I know you probably think I'm some softie now, I'm reading a freaking romance novel. I'm a guy…reading a novel that's targeted towards girls." Finn looked embarrassed, but Rachel got up from the bed, walking over to him.

"You're not a softie." Rachel said, pressing kisses to Finn's neck. "I think the fact you're reading _50 Shades Of Grey_ even though it's a girls book is totally sexy."

"You're not just saying that?" Finn pondered, raising an eyebrow to his fiancée.

"I'm not." Rachel assured him. Rachel went over to her book bag, taking out her own copy of the book. "I'm reading it too."

"Really!" Finn felt better knowing that Rachel wasn't going to judge him for reading a book targeted for women. "Which part are you up to?" Rachel put her book to the side, walking over to Finn and slowly unbuttoning his shirt while staring into his eyes.

"I'm up to the part where the maiden slowly undresses her lover, and makes love to him like there's no tomorrow." Rachel cheekily said. Finn caught Rachel's drift, leaning down and pressing passionate kisses on her lips as Rachel continued to unbutton his shirt. Rachel took off Finn's shirt, leading him over towards their bed, giving him a look of wanting. "Come along Mr. Hudson…I believe we have some experimenting to do…" Finn pressed kisses along Rachel's neck, reaching over to the lamp in order to turn off the light so he could enjoy his night alone with Rachel.

* * *

Santana sat in the diner the next night, staring down at her fingers, contemplating whether she was making the right choice. Kurt came over to wipe down some tables, giving Santana a supportive smile as Dani entered the diner.

"Are you going to be okay?" Kurt patted Santana's shoulder.

"If I don't do this now, then I'm never going to do it." Santana simply said. Kurt patted her shoulder once more, making his way towards the other tables in order to clean them. Dani sat down in the seat across from Santana, folding her hands with a grin.

"Hey, I missed you." Dani smiled. "Let me tell you, the Daft Punk concert was amazing! I had a great time! You really should have come!"

"Dani…" Dani noticed Santana was serious, causing her smile to falter. "There something that I need to tell you."

"Oh, okay…" Dani folded her hands, still looking at Santana. "What's wrong?"

"There's something that I did…that I'm ashamed about." Santana felt tears come to her eyes while she stared at Dani. "Brittany came to New York while you were gone…" Dani's face turned serious.

"Santana…Brittany came to New York while I was gone…" Dani tried to comprehend. "And I can already see where this is going."

"What?" Santana saw Dani get up from the chair, pacing back and forth.

"You were with her while I was gone." Dani sighed. Dani felt her heart break in a million pieces as she stared down at the floor. "You love Brittany more than me."

"What, I didn't say that…" Santana shook her head, getting up from her seat. "I didn't say I loved Brittany more than you."

"Well you never exactly told me you loved me Santana." Dani argued. Santana looked taken aback, spotting Dani looking furious. "This whole time you were here, you were trying to decide whether you liked me or Brittany. Even though you were with me, your heart is still with Brittany. I can see it."

"Dani, that's not true." Santana's voice broke, tears streaming down her face.

"Santana! It's true! So just cut the crap so we can move on here!" Dani screamed. "I know that you love Brittany more than me and even when you said that you chose me, you never meant it!"

"What did you want me to say, Dani?!" Santana looked Dani in the eye, still feeling tears go down her cheeks. "What do you want me to say? Do you want me to say that I'm sorry?"

"Sorry? You think sorry is going to fix this?!" Dani yelled, Santana looking a bit frightened. "You think I'm just going to forgive you because you say the word 'Sorry'? This isn't _Barney_, Santana. Sorry isn't the magic word that's going to make everything all better! I…I don't even know if I can _look _at you anymore. I really don't know…" Dani turned on her heels, heading towards the kitchen, Santana trying to hold back more of her tears. Santana found that she couldn't, so she sat there and let the tears fall, covering her hands with her eyes and shaking her head. She had never been in such a big mess—not even when Finn accidentally kicked her out of the closet and everyone knew her sexual orientation. Santana walked to the diner bathroom, closing the door and staring at herself in the mirror. She was possibly going to lose the person that cared about her the most—and it wouldn't have been the same if Dani had never spoke to her again.

_{Santana stares into the mirror, the tears streaming down her face as she shakes her head in shame}_

_[Santana]  
We clawed, we chained our hearts in vain  
We jump, never asking way  
We kissed, I fell under your spell  
A love no one could deny_

_Don't you ever say I just walked away  
I will always want you  
I can't live a lie, running for my life  
I will always want you_

_I came in like a wrecking ball  
I never hit so hard in love  
All I wanted was to break your walls  
All you ever did was wreck me  
Yeah, you wreck me_

_{Scene changes to Dani taking orders and focusing her eyes on Santana, feeling saddened as she looks down at the notepad}_

_[Dani]  
I put you high up in the sky  
And now, you're not coming down  
It slowly turned you let me burn  
And now we're ashes on the ground_

_Don't you ever say I just walked away  
I will always want you  
I can't live a lie, running for my life  
I will always want you_

_{Santana and Dani look at one another as they sadly make their rounds around the diner}_

_[Santana and Dani]  
I came in like a wrecking ball  
I never hit so hard in love  
All I wanted was to break your walls  
All you ever did was wreck me_

_I came in like a wrecking ball  
Yeah, I just closed my eyes and swung  
Left me crashing in a blazing fall  
All you ever did was wreck me  
Yeah you wreck me_

_{Scene changes to Santana looking at the sugar as she fills it, Santana slowly daydreams of Dani}_

_[Santana]  
I never meant to start a war  
I just wanted you to let me in  
And instead of using force  
I guess I should have let you win_

_{Dani looks across the diner, shaking her head as she grabs her guitar and heads to the kitchen}_

_[Dani]  
I never meant to start a war  
I just wanted you to let me in  
I guess I should have let you win_

_Don't you ever say I just walked away  
I will always want you_

_{Scene changes to Dani and Santana standing on opposite sides of the diner stage, not looking at each other as they look down at their feet}_

_[Santana and Dani]  
I came in like a wrecking ball  
I never hit so hard in love  
All I wanted was to break your walls  
All you ever did was wreck me_

_I came in like a wrecking ball  
Yeah, I just closed my eyes and swung  
Left me crashing in a blazing fall  
All you ever did was wreck me  
Yeah you wreck me_

_[Dani]  
Yeah you, you wreck me_

_{Santana and Dani stand on the stage as tears stream down their face, the screen going to black}_

* * *

_**GUEST STARRING**_

_**Idina Menzel as Shelby Corcoran**_

_**Samantha and Isabel Kahle as Beth Corcoran**_

_**Demi Lovato as Dani**_

_**SONG(S):**_

_**Royals (Originally by Lorde): Performed by Rachel Berry and Shelby Corcoran**_

_**Ho Hey (Originally by The Lumineers): Performed by Finn Hudson, Kurt Hummel and Santana Lopez**_

_**Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) [Originally by Beyoncé]: Sung by Beyoncé but Performed by Kurt Hummel, Santana Lopez and Finn Hudson**_

_**Wrecking Ball (Originally by Miley Cyrus): Performed by Santana Lopez and Dani**_


	19. 1x19: Rock N' Roll

_**Episode Synopsis: **After realizing that Glee Club member Celina (**Cassadee Pope**) is acting out, Finn decides to get to the bottom of it, realizing that he and Celina have more in common than they think. Meanwhile, Cassandra July (**Kate Hudson**) informs Finn that his Glee Club needs ten members in order to compete at Sectionals, prompting Finn to find three more members. _

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I do not own Glee, but I wish I did. Personally I felt that there had to be an episode where we start focusing on the other members of 'Finn Harmonic'. We already know about Vicky and Simone, so why not focus on another member. I don't want the members to be there just like props in a show, so I figure why not give each character a back story so that they can be slightly more relatable? Anyway, I hope you enjoy the newest episode! :)_

* * *

"All right, _Finn Harmonic_!_" _Finn clapped his hands in the NYADA auditorium a week later, staring down at the Glee Club while Rachel sat on the sidelines, giving him a reassuring smile. "So as we all know, Sectionals is coming up and we have to be not great, but _awesome_. Therefore, we need to come up with some songs for our set list and then we have to practice them. I don't want Sectionals to sneak up on us and then we lose because we weren't prepared. So does anyone have any suggestions for songs? I'll take anything at this point."

"_Row, Row, Row Your Boat_." Vicky smirked towards Finn, giving him a friendly chuckle. Finn chuckled back at her, shaking his head.

"Yeah, don't be a smartass." Finn jokingly said, causing the other members to laugh. Vicky pretended she was bowing as Finn moved along, staring at the other members. "Anyone have anything else…and please no nursery rhymes? I don't want Madame Tibideaux thinking that we're incompetent and that our club should be shut down. So, anyone else have any ideas? Simone? You usually like to shine, do you have any suggestions?"

"As a matter of fact, I was waiting for the day you would ask." Simone took out her notepad, skimming through the songs and showing Finn. "And I put down my key in case you decide to give me the solo."

"It's called _Sectionals_ not 'The Simone Show'." Celina retorted, glaring at Simone. Everyone was a bit surprised that Celina had spoken up about Simone's overbearing behavior. Celina had never said anything—or sang anything in the time that she was here, so to hear her lash out at Simone kind of surprised Finn.

"All right…" Finn looked at Celina, still surprised that she had said _something_, but his amazement was short lived when Cassandra July entered the auditorium with some of her dancers, holding tape measures and balloons.

"And the pole can go right there…" Cassandra pointed to the middle of the auditorium. Finn looked at Rachel with confusion, seeing Rachel shrug her shoulders as if she didn't know what was going on as well.

"Um, excuse me." Finn walked over to Cassandra, crossing his arms. "We're having Glee practice right now."

"Right, I see that…and you think I care, why?" Cassandra shrugged her shoulders, looking at Finn.

"You should care. There's a class going on right now." Finn felt his voice get firmer as he stared at Cassandra. "We're rehearsing for Sectionals so if you don't mind."

"Oh, you're rehearsing for Sectionals?" Cassandra gazed over at the group, letting out a small chuckle. "I thought this was a meeting of 'The Abstinence Club'. Although I'm pretty sure that you had sex with the hobbit over there more times than I can count—if that's the case you might want to step down as president."

"Cassandra, can you just leave?" Finn glared at Cassandra, the other students letting out a sight gasp. "You can't interrupt our lesson like this, especially if we have any chance of competing at Sectionals."

"Well I hate to break it to you bub…but your little club is going to get disqualified right off the bat." Cassandra shrugged her shoulders, seemingly okay with the news she just told Finn.

"Wait, what?" Finn shook his head not understanding.

"You need at least ten members in order to compete. I see five over there. You're missing five more members." Cassandra smirked.

"I'm six and Rachel is seven." Finn pointed to Rachel yet keeping his eye contact on Cassandra.

"You're still missing three members." Cassandra smirked. "Good luck finding new members because no one is going to want to join your dopey club."

"And why not?" Finn continued glaring at Cassandra, noticing she was walking up the steps of the auditorium.

"Because I told everyone that the only way to get in is to have sex with you." Cassandra let out a sly grin, focusing on Finn. "Even the guys." Finn stood there, clutching the clipboard that was in his hand, feeling the anger boil through his body. He spent all this time whipping the kids he had into shape—that he didn't realize that they needed more members in order to compete. Finn didn't want to say it, but he was afraid that the Glee Club was as good as doomed.

* * *

"Please tell me that what Cassandra is saying is a lie and that we don't need ten members, and that she's only doing this so she can get into my head." Finn paced back and forth in the diner the next afternoon after he finished wiping down the tables, staring at Rachel who was sitting in one of the booths, reading the show choir manual.

"Okay, here we are." Rachel said, reading the excerpt in the book. "_Each show choir that is to compete needs the required ten members in order to qualify for the Sectionals, Regionals and Nationals showcase. However, all ten members do not need to be on stage during every number_."

"All right, so we do need ten members." Finn sat down next to Rachel, holding the rag close to him. "Rachel we're good as screwed."

"No we are not." Rachel shook her head with a small smile. "We're going to find three more members somewhere, anywhere. I promise you. All right?" Finn released a deep breath, nodding his head to Rachel with a sigh.

"All right, so where are we going to find three more members to join us because according to Cassandra July, no one wants to join the club since they all think I'm some weirdo." Finn ran a hand through his hair, causing Rachel to chuckle.

"No one thinks you're a weirdo." Rachel put a hand on Finn's shoulder. "I don't think that."

"And you're probably the only one." Finn added, looking down at the handbook. "I thought that I had everything under control when I was running this club. I thought that maybe I could have made Mr. Schuester proud of me because I was following what he taught us. I wanted to be a Glee Club teacher more than anything and now…I don't know, I feel like I failed the club because I forgot to find three more members."

"You did not fail the club." Rachel soothingly told him. "Finn we have time. We can find three more members before Sectionals. I promise you."

"But where?" Finn rubbed his temples. "I mean, we don't have enough boys. Dustin and I can't handle the male part of the club alone. Maybe I should ask Brody if he wants to join the Glee Club."

"Wait, you want to ask Brody?" Rachel seemed surprised. "I'm sorry Finn but I thought that you _hated_ Brody."

"We actually made up right before I fainted and ended up in the hospital." Finn said. "I mean, he could be our last hope of finding another male for the club. And then we'd have to only find two members to join."

"I don't know Finn…" Rachel sighed. "Asking Brody to join seems like a long shot. Are you _sure_ about this?"

"I've never been surer about this." Finn got up from the counter seats when he noticed there was a customer. Rachel got up from the seats as well, but Finn and Rachel gazed over to see the customer was none other than Celina—and she looked like she was trying to hide something.

"Oh, hi Celina." Rachel waved to her classmate. Celina waved back, looking down at her feet. Celina wondered if coming to the diner was such a good idea, but she needed to talk to someone right now.

"Finn, can I talk to you alone?" Celina asked, crossing her arms in front of her. Finn nodded his head, leading Celina towards the kitchen while giving Rachel an 'I'll tell you later' glance. Finn entered the kitchen with Celina, leaning against the sink as she ran a hand through her hair. "It has to do with the Glee Club."

"Oh, okay that sounds great." Finn nodded his head with a smile. "Did you want to sing a song during Glee Club or…"

"No." Celina shook her head, feeling tears come to her eyes. "No, I don't want to sing during Glee Club. I came here because I felt that you had the right to know that…I quit." Finn's smile diminished, a frown now appearing on his face.

"Wait, what?" Finn walked closer to Celina, wondering what had prompted her from suddenly wanting to quit the club. "Celina, you can't quit the club…we need you."

"No, you don't." Celina shook her head. "Let's face it, Cassandra July is right. If we don't have enough members then there's no way that we can compete. Hence why I'm quitting the Glee Club." Finn found something odd about Celina's disbandment form the Glee Club, especially so suddenly. She was on the verge of tears while telling Finn that she wanted to leave—which made Finn question if Celina wanted to leave at all.

"Celina, why are you doing this?" Finn sounded a bit disappointed. "You were always such a team player, why are you going to quit now when we're so close to Sectionals?"

"Because Finn, you don't really know what you're doing in that auditorium!" Celina shouted. "You think that you know something because you won a _High School_ National Championship. Let me tell you, this is _College_. College is different from High School. Let's just face it, Finn. You're lost and you don't know anything about running a show choir group. I quit…it's as simple as that." Celina walked out of the kitchen, going past the doors, leaving Finn feeling hurt. All the work that he had put in the Glee Club—it was all for not. He had to admit it, Celina was right. Finn _didn't_ know anything about running a college show choir group, and it began to make him think that he was worthless. Finn exited the diner kitchen, spotting Rachel, as she looked walked over with an order.

"Finn, table five wants a Cesar Salad." Rachel handed Finn the slip, but noticed he was on the verge on the tears. "Finn…what's the matter." Finn simply took the order and walked over to the kitchen. After he handed the order to the cook, he went to the bathroom where he let out his emotions. All of Finn's insecurities came out via tears, as he sat in the bathroom and had a long, hard cry.

"Finn!" Rachel yelled as she entered the bedroom later that night, holding some folders in her hand. "Finn, I found some songs that I think the Glee Club could do and…" Rachel stopped in her tracks, noticing Finn sitting on the bed looking frustrated, and possibly even saddened. "Finn? Are you okay?" Rachel walked over to her fiancé, sitting in the bed next to him and rubbing his shoulders. "You seemed out of it ever since Celina went to talk to you today. Did something happen?" Finn didn't say anything as Rachel continued rubbing his back. After what seemed like an eternity, Finn got up from the bed and started to pace around the room, Rachel noticing his anger.

"She quit the Glee Club." Finn said, running a hand through his hair. "Celina quit the Glee Club."

"What?" Rachel got up from the bed, making her way to Finn. "I don't get it, why did she quit the club? She seemed to have loved it there."

"I don't know, but she _did_ tell me that I have no idea what I'm doing with that club, especially since we don't have enough members to even compete." Finn composed himself, feeling his voice breaking slightly. "The sad part, she's right. I can act like I know what I'm doing up there all I want but in reality I have no clue what I'm doing. I thought I could just skate by and possibly bring home a Sectionals trophy for NYADA…instead we might not be able to compete."

* * *

"Finn…" Rachel embraced him into a tight hug, rubbing his back as he gripped onto her. "You really don't see how special you truly are, do you?"

"Oh yeah? How special can I possibly be? I doomed the Glee Club." Finn sighed.

"Finn Hudson, those kids_ adore_ you, and they seem to love being in the Glee Club because you make it so much fun. You're a great leader, and if Celina doesn't want to be in the club anymore then it's her loss. I just want you to know, even if the club does disband and it's just me and you, I'd still be there to follow every word you say. Do you know why? Because I believe in you, that's why. I know that you're smart, you're talented, and you have the good judgment to do this. Don't let what one person said define you."

"I just wanted to make Mr. Schue proud, Rachel." Finn explained. "He's the reason that I'm doing this…and this is the only thing I know how to do well without screwing up. But I _already_ screwed it up because we don't have enough members and someone else just quit."

"Finn, everyone under the sun used to quit the Glee Club." Rachel reminded him. "But we'd always come back because we realized there's no place like home. Glee Club was our home. As for making Mr. Schue proud, you already have just by taking over the Glee Club and showing responsibility. I know you worked _so_ hard with this club, so we're going to find those other members to join and then we're going to compete. And when you're singing and you look out into the audience and see Mr. Schue sitting there watching, that would be your way of telling him 'I led this club to this point and I'm not going to let anyone or anything get in my way of winning'. You had that drive when it came to being the quarterback of the football team. Now it's time to be our quarterback and lead us to a championship and Regionals." Rachel snaked her arms around Finn's neck, gazing into his eyes. "So what do you say Quarterback? Are you going to lead us or are you going to _lead us_." Finn grinned at Rachel, leaning in and pressing a kiss to her lips, the smile still evident. Rachel was right. Finn had the drive and the passion to do this. He was going to lead them to a championship no matter how long it took. As long as Finn knew he had Rachel's confidence in him, then there was nothing that Finn couldn't accomplish.

* * *

The next afternoon at work, Finn, Rachel, Santana and Kurt sat in the cubicle eating their lunch before they had to go back to their shift. Finn was looking down at the show choir rulebook, trying to think of ways to get members. As Finn sat there reading the manual, Kurt, Santana and Rachel kept their gaze on him, wondering if he was truly all right.

"Finn, you've been reading that book ever since you woke up this morning." Kurt said. "Don't you think that you're obsessing over this?"

"I'm obsessing because this is important to me." Finn simply said, still reading the book. Santana and Rachel gazed at one another, but Santana's eyes wandered over to Dani who was busy taking orders, avoiding Santana's gaze. Finn looked up from his book, noticing Santana's gazing over at Dani, feeling a bit saddened for his friend. "Is Dani talking to you or is she still a little mad?"

"She's still mad at me." Santana sighed. "Honestly I wouldn't blame her if she never spoke to me again. I did do something horrible."

"I'm sure she's going to forgive you eventually." Finn reasoned with Santana. "No one can stay mad at a person for long."

"I'm sorry, did I miss something?" Rachel looked to Finn, Kurt and Santana.

"Nothing much, just the fact Santana cheated on Dani with Brittany while Brittany was here and Dani was in Oakland." Kurt explained. Santana gave Kurt a steely glare, causing Kurt to silence himself. "Sorry, it's just…you should really work on talking to Dani. If Brittany can forgive you for leaving her for Dani then I'm sure Dani can forgive you for cheating on Brittany."

"Well when you put it that way, Kurt." Santana feigned the kindness in her voice, still giving Kurt a strong glare.

"Sorry." Kurt put his hand up, going back to Finn. "Finn, can you please get your head out of the book? I mean, come on…"

"No, I need to find a way to get ten members so we can compete during Sectionals." Finn answered, still going through the book.

"And you think ten members are going to pop out of the book and help you compete at Sectionals?" Kurt wondered. "If you want the rest of the members then you need to go out there and find them. Sitting here isn't going to do you any good."

"There's a problem with that." Finn sighed. "Cassandra July, the dance teacher from hell told everyone that I'm some weirdo that sleeps with everyone since that's the only way into the Glee Club."

"Wait, seriously?" Santana scoffed, noticing Finn giving her a look.

"Yes, seriously. No one is going to want to join the club now that everyone has taken her word for it." Finn put his head on the desk as Santana and Kurt glanced at one another.

"Finn, do you mind if I ask you a question? Kurt wondered.

"Ask away." Finn kept his head on the desk but used his finger to point at his brother.

"Can you recruit members outside of NYADA? I mean surely there has to be something in the rules that you can." Finn looked up at Kurt, noticing his brother was in a train of thought. "If April Rhodes could join the Glee Club for a spell even when she didn't go to school there, why can't you recruit someone outside of the school?" Rachel grabbed the handbook, going to the section listing the qualifications of needing new members.

"Kurt's right, Finn." Rachel said, gazing at him. "There's no rule saying you can't recruit anyone outside of the school. It just says you need ten members."

"All right, so even if I decided to recruit members outside of the school, there's no way that anyone on a whim is going to want to join the Glee Club." Finn reasoned.

"Yes, that's possibly true but in order to get results you have to work at it." Kurt smirked, looking over at Santana with a grin. Santana knew _exactly_ where this was going as she motioned the band over in the corner to start playing music. "You know what you have to do, Finn?"

"What?" Finn asked. Santana and Kurt glanced at each other before turning to Finn with a smirk.

"You gotta work, bitch." Santana and Kurt spoke in unison, getting up from the seats and making their way to the other dancers, leaving Finn in a shocked daze.

_{Santana and Kurt join the other waitresses who start dancing around with them as Finn and Rachel watch Santana and Kurt}_

_[Kurt]  
You wanna, you wanna_

_You wanna hot body  
You wanna Bugatti  
You wanna Maserati  
You better work bitch_

_You wanna Lamborghini  
Sip martinis  
Look hot in a bikini  
You better work bitch_

_You wanna live fancy  
Live in a big mansion  
Party in France  
You better work bitch_

_You better work bitch  
Y0u better work bitch  
You better work bitch  
Now get to work bitch_

_{Santana and Kurt dance with the waiters and female servers, Kurt pulling Finn and Rachel into the middle of the dance floor}_

_(Santana: Aaaaa oooh)  
[Kurt]  
Now get to work bitch  
(Santana: Aaaaa oooh)  
[Kurt]  
Now get to work bitch_

_[Santana]  
Bring it on  
Ring the alarm  
Don't stop now just be the champion  
Work it hard like it's your profession  
Watch out now  
Cause here I come_

_[Kurt and Santana]  
Here comes the smasher  
Here comes the master  
Here comes the big beat  
Big beat to blast off_

_No time to quit now  
Just time to get it now  
Pick up what I'm putting down  
Pick up what I'm putting down_

_[Kurt]  
You wanna hot body  
You wanna Bugatti  
You wanna Maserati  
You better work bitch_

_You wanna Lamborghini  
Sip martinis  
Look hot in a bikini  
You better work bitch_

_You wanna live fancy  
Live in a big mansion  
Party in France  
You better work bitch_

_You better work bitch  
Y0u better work bitch  
You better work bitch  
Now get to work bitch_

_(Santana: Aaaaa oooh)  
[Kurt]  
Now get to work bitch  
(Santana: Aaaaa oooh)_

_[Santana]  
Break it off  
Break it down  
See me coming  
You can hear my sound  
Tell somebody  
in your town  
Spread the word  
Spread the word_

_[Kurt and Santana]  
Go call the police  
Go call the governor  
I bring the trouble  
Don't mean to trouble ya  
I make it bubble up  
Call me the bubbler  
I am the bad bitch  
The bitch that you're lovin' up_

_{The servers and dancers go around Finn and Rachel and Finn starts having a confident smile as they look at him}_

_[Santana]  
Hold your hands high  
Fingers to the sky  
They gonna try to try ya  
But they can't deny ya  
Keep it moving higher  
And higher  
Keep it moving higher  
And Higher_

_[Santana and Kurt]  
Hold your head high  
Fingers to the sky  
Now they don't belive ya  
But they gonna need ya  
Keep it moving higher  
and higher  
Keep it moving higher  
and higher  
and higher_

_{Kurt grabs Rachel and Santana grabs Finn as all of the servers start dancing around them in the diner}_

_Work, work, work, work, work  
Work, work, work, work, work,  
Work, work, work, work, work,  
Work it out, work it out, work it out, work it out,  
Work it out, work it out, work it out, work it out  
Work it out, work it out, work it out  
Work it out, work it out, work it out_

_You better work bitch  
You better work bitch_

Finn, Rachel, Kurt and Santana entered a group hug while everyone started applauding, and that was when Finn had a brain spark. He eyed Kurt and Santana with a smile, noticing that they were looking over at Finn in confusion.

"Hey, Santana…Kurt…" Finn slyly said. "The NYADA show choir book said _anyone_ can join, right?"

"Yes, anyone can join." Kurt didn't see where Finn was getting at. Finn cleared his throat as he took a deep breath, knowing that this was a good idea and that it could have worked.

"Join the Glee Club. The both of you."

* * *

The next afternoon Finn sat in the auditorium, looking down at sheet music that he had in his hand, getting ready to prepare for another lesson. Finn heard the auditorium door open, expecting Rachel to enter the room, but instead it was Simone. Simone stopped short of Finn, gazing at him as he continued to look at the sheet music.

"What can I help you with today, Simone?" Finn asked with not much energy.

"Why do you hate me so much?" Simone blurted out. Finn looked up at Simone, raising an eyebrow.

"What?" Finn wondered. "I don't _hate_ you Simone."

"Well it seems that way." Simone crossed her arms. "I'm supposed to get the solo for Sectionals; instead you decided that we're all going to do a group number! What kind of teacher are you?"

"I'm a teacher that's fair Simone, that's what kind of teacher I am." Finn said. "Maybe if I had been fairer in this class, Celina would have stayed."

"Celina didn't quit the Glee Club because she wanted solo's, Dumbo." Simone didn't care if she sounded rude at this point. Finn gazed up, holding the sheet music close to him, surprised that Simone had called him a name.

"Wha…what are you talking about?" Finn crossed his arms, feeling his patience was already tested.

"If you looked at Celina's arms during the last Glee Club practice, you'd realize that there's something wrong with her." Simone shrugged her shoulders, sitting down in one of the seats. "She suddenly was insubordinate, so that must mean that there's something up."

"How well _do_ you know Celina, Simone?" Finn became interested, the anger he had from Simone making fun of his smarts disappearing. "I mean, maybe there's something I can do to get her to come back if you tell me."

"I don't know her that well, no one does." Simone said, shrugging her shoulders. "But I do know this…Celina has been sheltered to herself. I sometimes wonder why. It turns out that maybe Celina might be dealing with things at home. I know she lives with her boyfriend in SoHo."

"She lives with her boyfriend in SoHo?" Finn sat down next to Simone, before tensing up. "You're not going to kiss me if I sit here, are you?"

"No." Simone shook her head, seeming actually considerate. "Look Finn, I hate everyone in Glee Club I'll admit…but I want to perform in front of crowd and I want to _win_ something. The only way that we're going to do that is if we get Celina back in the Glee Club. If there's anything I suggest…I suggest you go and talk to her. She's too quiet to just lash out like that."

"Where can I find her now?" Finn asked, getting up from his seat.

"I last saw her fencing." Simone answered. Finn nodded his head as he exited the auditorium off to find Celina—but just as Finn left, Brody came in another side door staring over at Simone.

"So…" Brody got down from the auditorium stage, walking up to her. "How's the plan coming along?"

"It's coming along good…" Simone smirked, still staring at Brody. "So are you and Finn like besties now?"

"That's what he thinks." Brody shrugged his shoulders, giving Simone the same smirk. "That Hudson kid is too gullible for his own good. So what's next?"

"It's simple you two…" Simone and Brody turned their heads to see Cassandra walking down the ramp of the auditorium, giving them a chuckle. "Brody's going to make Finn look bad and join his little club just so he can have enough members for his stupid Glee Club…but Brody's going to find a way to expel Hudson. Then Simone, you're going to hit one faulty note so that the Glee Club doesn't win and they're disbanded…and then of course because of my recommendation, you're going to crush Rachel Berry during _Funny Girl _callbacks. That way Finn's expelled, Rachel doesn't get the role she dreams of, they'll blame each other and both of them will go running into your arms."

"And that sounds ever-so devilish." Simone clapped her hands.

"Yeah, it does sound devilish." Brody agreed. Cassandra patted both of their shoulders, making her way up the ramp and leaving the auditorium in an orderly fashion. "All right, so where's Finn so I can tell him that I'll join his dopey club?"

"He's taking care of business right now." Simone said with a small smile. "Don't worry though…he's getting a member back so we can have the qualifying ten members…and _that_ is when our plan will strike." Simone walked past Brody, heading out of the auditorium while Brody stood there with a proud smile on his face. Little did Brody know Santana and Kurt were listening in on the conversation, giving each other worried glances. Someone had to warn Rachel and Finn about Simone, Brody and Cassandra—before it was too late.

* * *

Finn entered the fencing studio, spotting Celina holding her bags close to her. Finn took one look at her to notice that she was wincing with every move she made, but she kept trying to put up a façade pretending that everything was fine. Finn made his way over to Celina, leaning against the wall as she noticed he was there, but didn't say anything. She just continued trying to pick up her bags. Finn decided to help her, grabbing one of the bags she had on the floor and handing it to her. Celina considered taking it from Finn, noticing that he had a small smile on his face. Celina slowly took the bag, turning back around so that she could be left alone, but Finn wasn't going anywhere.

"Celina, can we talk for a minute?" Finn wondered, still gazing at her. Celina turned to Finn, still gripping the bags close to her, showing an angered expression on her face.

"No, I can't talk right now." Celina said as she started to make her way towards the door. Finn softly put his hands on Celina's shoulder but she winced, closing her eyes and letting out shallow breaths, letting Finn know that she was in pain. "Let go of me! You're hurting me!"

"What? Celina, I'm barely touching you!" Finn retorted, noticing that she was in immense pain. Finn took his hands off her shoulders as Celina got on her knees, letting out gigantic sobs. Finn bent down to her level, letting everything that Simone said click in his head. Celina had a boyfriend that she lived with in SoHo. Celina had been acting out for the past couple of days and she even quit Glee Club, knowing that she enjoyed it more than anything in the world. Finn continued to stare into her eyes, softening his expression. He reached one of his hands over to hers, gripping it and giving her a gentle smile. That was enough for Celina to go into Finn's arms and sob into his shoulder, Finn soothingly rubbing Celina up and down her back.

* * *

Finn and Celina sat alone in the NYADA auditorium a half hour later, Finn just gazing into her eyes, noticing that she was quiet. Finn continued to look at her, hoping that she would say something, anything. He was beginning to worry about her. They sat there in silence, until he heard Celina let out a deep breath and open her mouth.

"I didn't want to quit the Glee Club." Celina said, looking down at her hands.

"I know you didn't." Finn soothingly answered back. "I don't want to go into uncharted territory, but I was just wondering…why _did_ you quit the Glee Club? I mean you looked like you had a lot of fun here…I just worried that you weren't having enough fun since you never got any solos."

"I actually don't' mind not having solos." Celina gazed into Finn's eyes. "I could care less about that. I'm here because this is the only place I have actual friends that care about me. Friends that understand me…well, I'm not sure that I can call Simone a friend."

"Are you kidding?" Finn waved his hand as if it was nothing, releasing a small smile. "Simone loves you."

"Really?" Celina looked at Finn, noticing that his smile disappeared.

"Well, no not really." Finn admitted. "She hates everyone." Celina and Finn let out a small laugh, but Celina's face turned serious again.

"I quit the Glee Club because I was going through a lot of things and I didn't know if this was the place I had to be right now." Celina said.

"What kind of things are you going through?" Finn asked, folding his hands. "I promise I won't tell a soul. I won't even tell Rachel unless you want me to." Celina looked to Finn nodding her head slowly.

"My sister's in jail." Celina softly spoke. "She was caught distributing drugs and now she's doing 20 years in the slammer. She was my older sister, she was 25…she had her whole life ahead of her. I knew she was acting out from when she was a teenager but I never thought that she would be so stupid as to let her life spin out of her control. I also…I was beaten up, which was why it hurt when you touched me."

"Who beat you up?" Finn continued to look at Celina, seeing she was contemplating whether to tell him. "Remember, I'm not really a teacher so I won't say anything unless you want me to." Celina looked at Finn, letting out a deep breath again.

"My boyfriend beat me up." Celina answered. "He came home drunk the other night because he lost his job at a construction site. He was so angry that he took his anger out at me…" Finn heard Celina sniffle as she wiped a few tears from her face. "I keep threatening that I'm going to leave him but every time that I try to leave, he grabs me and threatens to hurt me with something, telling me that if I leave then no one out that door is going to love me. He tells me that I'm pathetic and sad and…he said if I ever called the cops on him, he'd kill me when he'd get out of jail." Celina buried her face in her hands, sobbing while Finn rubbed her back soothingly. Finn didn't know how to handle something like this since he knew he would never put a hand on Rachel. Finn always heard about stuff like this happening on the news, but when it happened to a person he knew, it was a different experience.

"Celina, you have to tell someone about this…and you have to call the police." Finn told her. "This man is dangerous."

"You don't know what I'm going through, you don't know what it's like to have someone tell you that you're worthless and you'll never amount to anything!" Celina yelled through her tears.

"Oh really?" Finn looked at Celina with firm eyes. "My father, my birth father is exactly the same way. He told me I was worthless, I would never amount to anything, I would be pathetic and I'm 'gay' for even liking the arts. That a real man doesn't like performing or singing or playing an instrument; mind you I play the drums, guitar and piano." Finn felt tears come to his eyes as he continued to look at Celina. "Look, we're in the same boat. There are people out there that want to bring you down because they have nothing better to do than crush your spirit. Celina you are an _amazing_ person…all right. I'm not just saying that. You're one of the few to make me feel welcome here. I'm an outcast that has nothing better to do than run a Glee Club and work at a diner. And I want you to know that you are welcome back in the Glee Club _anytime_ you're ready. Okay? When I was in High School, kids would quit the Glee Club every other week, but we always came back because that was our home. That was the only place that made us feel safe and secure. I know right now performing for Sectionals is a long shot but…we can still have fun in this club, right?" Celina let out a small grin as she noticed Finn wiping the few tears he had on his face away from his eyes. "I know that singing is not going to help your problems, but for two minutes, just being on that stage will make you feel invincible, like there's nothing that can hurt you. I can join you if you like." Celina simply looked at Finn with a small smile.

"You kind of make me want to be your girlfriend." Celina joked, causing Finn and Celina to let out a genuine laugh. "And I'm sorry that I told you that you had no idea what you were doing. You obviously do…because everyone always comes back." Finn and Celina hugged tightly, Celina forgetting all of her troubles for the moment. Celina got up from the chair, holding her hand out for Finn to take. "You said you wanted to sing on the stage right? Do you think you can put your drumming skills to the test and play the drums for me?" Finn quickly nodded his head, taking Celina's hand as she pulled him up from the chair, leading him over to the drum set as she stood in front of the mike. As Celina started to sing and heard the rest of the band, she felt her troubles slip away—and for the first time in a while, things just felt…right.

_{Celina looks back to Finn as Finn nods his head to her, her singing into the microphone to the empty auditorium}_

_[Celina]  
Well I couldn't tell you  
How she felt that way  
She felt it every day  
And I couldn't help her  
I just watched her make the same mistakes again_

_What's wrong, what's wrong now  
Too many, too many problems  
Don't know where she belongs  
Where she belongs_

_[Celina with Finn]  
She wants to go home  
But nobody's home  
That's where she lies, broken inside  
With no place to go, no place to go  
To dry her eyes, broken inside_

_[Celina]  
Open your eyes (Finn: Open your eyes)  
And look outside_

_[Celina and Finn]  
Find the reasons why_

_[Celina]  
You've been rejected  
And now you can't find  
What you left behind_

_Be strong, be strong now  
Too many, too many problems  
Don't know where she belongs  
Where she belongs_

_[Celina with Finn]  
She wants to go home  
But nobody's home  
That's where she lies, broken inside  
With no place to go, no place to go  
To dry her eyes, broken inside_

_{Scene changes to the Glee Club members sitting in their seats, listening to Celina sing}_

_[Celina and Finn]  
Her feelings she hides  
Her dreams she can't find  
She's losing her mind  
She's falling behind  
She can't find her place  
She's losing her faith  
She's falling from grace  
She's all over the place_

_[Celina with Finn]  
She wants to go home  
But nobody's home  
That's where she lies, broken inside  
With no place to go, no place to go  
To dry her eyes, broken inside_

_[Celina]  
She's lost inside, lost inside  
She's lost inside, lost inside_

_[Celina and Finn]  
Whoa, whoa, oh_

The Glee Club stood up in their chairs, clapping as Celina released a wide smile. She had never gotten this kind of reception before, and frankly it felt nice being on the opposing side of the applause for once. Celina looked to Finn, seeing that he was getting up from the drum set with a grin.

"And just so Celina knows, she is more than welcome to come back to Glee Club…if she wants to." Finn looked at her as he spoke the last bit of the sentence, noticing Celina nodded her head with a smile.

"I'd love to come back to Glee Club." Celina firmly stated. Everyone clapped again as Finn motioned for Santana and Kurt to come to the stage.

"And now I would like to introduce the two newest members of the Glee Club, Santana Lopez and Kurt Hummel. I know they don't go to school here but according to the rule book, all we needed was ten members. I even read the fine print. Who knows, maybe they'll impress Madame Tibideaux so much that they'll end up coming here."

"Oh no, going to school here is not my thing." Santana shook her head to Finn. "I just want to sing, that's pretty much it." Kurt on the other hand was silent. This could have been his break to actually get into NYADA. It was something he wanted to do and while the diner and were nice, his main passion was working on Broadway, maybe in a theatre adaption of _Wicked_.

"Now, let's get started on preparing for Sectionals." Finn clapped his hands.

"Wait." Dustin raised his hand, looking at Finn. "There's nine of us now…that means we're missing one more member in order for us to compete."

"That can be arranged." Finn pointed towards the auditorium as Brody came in from the left side of the stage. "Our tenth and final member, a good friend of mine…Brody Weston." Everyone clapped once again, but the one that seemed the most excited was Simone. Santana glared at Brody, knowing exactly what he was doing here. "And now we have ten members, so I think that now we can compete during Sectionals. Let's get started!" Finn clapped his hands once more as everyone started warming up their vocal cords. Brody was about to make his way with the others until Santana stopped him in his tracks.

"I know what you're really doing here." Santana kept her voice firm as she stared at Brody. "I'm going to give you a warning now. If you do _anything_ to hurt Finn or Rachel, I will come after you with a car and make sure that you're locked inside it as it sinks to the bottom of the Hudson River. You, your old saggy dance teacher and that Mariah Carey wannabe better watch your back…because _I'm _here now…and I won't let you ruin something Finn had been working _so_ hard on."

"Gee, you seem to care about Finn a little bit _too_ much." Brody smirked.

"It's nothing like that." Santana seethed. "If you must know, I play for the other team. Second, Finn and I go back, like ninth grade back. So you need to back it up because I will hunt you down if Finn ends up in a manic depression. He went there once…he doesn't need to go there again. So if I were you, I'd really think about the "pretend to be his friend" act that you're trying to pull. Because I'm from Lima Adjacent. And do you know what they do at Lima Adjacent? Bad things. That's what happens at Lima Adjacent. It's more ghetto than the South Bronx, I can guarantee you." Brody continued to look at Santana, but Santana walked past him, finally done with the conversation. Brody continued to look over at Santana, shaking his head. Apparently, getting to Finn wasn't going to be easy with Santana in the way…

* * *

After Glee Club practice, Finn was asked to be seen by Madame Tibideaux and if Finn said he wasn't nervous, he'd be lying. Finn stood in front of her office, letting out a sigh as he knocked on the door.

"Come in." Finn heard Madame Tibideaux's voice call from the other side of the door. Finn opened it, spotting Cassandra July sitting there and Madame Tibideaux sitting at her desk. "Hello, Finn. Have a seat please." Finn closed the door, taking a seat next to Cassandra July, not sure where he should fixate his eyes. After a moment of silence, Madame Tibideaux crossed her arms, staring right at Finn. "Ms. July tells me that you have ten members for the NYADA Glee Club in order to compete at Sectionals. The issue is…not all ten members are students at NYADA." Finn looked over at Cassandra, noticing she was letting out a smirk.

"I'm afraid we can't have that Finn." Cassandra shrugged her shoulders, playing the innocent card. "We don't know anything about your two friends in there…and it wouldn't look good for the school if everyone found out that you picked up riff raff from the corners of Brooklyn."

"Those are my friends." Finn shook his head, turning back to Madame Tibideaux. "Madame Tibideaux, with all due respect, I read the handbook carefully. I read the entire handbook at least ten times. It says that you need ten members in order to compete in competition, but the handbook never said that they had to be NYADA students."

"But it's in the NYADA handbook, so you should have figured that." Cassandra folded her hands, continuing her innocent act.

"No, I looked at the show choir book for the region. There's nothing that says that they have to be college students at this particular school or at any school." Finn looked back to Madame Tibideaux. "All that the handbook says is that there has to be ten members. Doesn't matter where they're from or how they got on the team. As long as the team captain, which the Glee Club appointed as myself agrees that they are worthy for the team, then they can be on it. It's in the rule book." Madame Tibideaux looked at the show choir manual, reading the qualification section. After skimming through it, she closed the book and looked at both Finn and Cassandra.

"I believe Mr. Hudson makes a valid point, Cassandra." Madame Tibideaux simply stated. "No rules were broken and I even looked at Ms. Lopez and Mr. Hummel's records. They're legit. They can help the NYADA Glee Club win at Sectionals."

"So you're trying to tell me that he can bring riff raff off the streets in order to perform in show choir?" Cassandra sounded outraged.

"Apparently he considered them thoughtfully and given that he has history with those two individuals, they were best fit." Madame Tibideaux said. "So I believe that we're done here. Thank you for your time Mr. Hudson, you may go." Madame Tibideaux gave Finn a small smile as Finn got up from his seat, grabbing his book along with him.

"Have a good evening, Madame Tibideaux." Finn nodded his head, leaving the office and started to make his way down the hall.

"HEY!" Finn turned around; noticing Cassandra was hot on his tail right after him. "You think this is funny?"

"If I think what's funny?" Finn wasn't sure what Cassandra was talking about.

"Embarrassing me in front of Madame Tibideaux." Cassandra pointed back towards the office. "That was disobedience at its finest!"

"The only person that embarrassed you is _you_." Finn firmly told her. "I read the handbook. If you're going to try to write me up for something, at least be knowledgeable. You just hate that I won and you lost."

"Oh…you did not win anything." Cassandra smirked. "This means war Hudson. By the end of your time here at NYADA, I'll make sure that you're miserable and that your dopey Glee Club is disbanded, do you understand me?" Cassandra walked past Finn, but Finn was un-phased by Cassandra's words. Instead, he had a large smile on his face, finally knowing what Mr. Schuester and Sue Sylvester felt like, fighting over a Glee Club. Finn confidently made his way down the hallway with a large smile on his face, knowing that he now had to get his Glee Club ready for Sectionals—and that he was considered a huge threat to Cassandra July.

_{Scene changes to the next afternoon and the Finn Harmonic members wear black outfits for the group number. Celina, Rachel and Santana walk down the three aisles of the auditorium, looking up at the other members of the club}_

_[Finn Harmonic]  
Let them know that we're still rock and roll_

_[Rachel]  
I don't care about my makeup  
I like it better with my jeans all ripped up  
Don't know how to keep my mouth shut  
You say, so what?_

_[Celina]  
I don't care if I'm a misfit  
I like it better than the hipster bull, yeah  
I am the mother freaking princess  
You still love it_

_Some, somehow (with Rachel and Santana: It's a little different when)  
I'm with you (with Rachel and Santana: You know what I really am)  
All about (with Rachel and Santana: You know how it really goes)  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, yeah  
Some, someway (with Rachel and Santana: We'll be getting out of this)  
Town one day (with Rachel and Santana: You're the only one that I)  
Want with me (with Rachel and Santana: You know how the story goes)_

_{Rachel, Celina and Santana go on the stage and smile with the others. Santana glares over at Brody and Simone, Simone and Brody smirking at Santana}_

_[Celina, Rachel and Santana with Finn Harmonic]  
When it's you and me  
We don't need no one to tell us who to be  
We'll keep turning up the radio  
What if you and I  
Just put up a middle finger to the sky  
Let em' know that we're still rock and roll_

_[Celina]  
Rock N' Roll  
(Finn, Dustin, Kurt and Brody: Hey, Hey, Hey)  
Rock N' Roll  
(Finn, Dustin, Kurt and Brody: Hey, Hey, Hey)_

_[Vicky]  
Call it a bad attitude, dude  
I'm never gonna cover up my tattoo  
I might have a couple issues  
You say, "Me too"_

_[Simone]  
Don't care about a reputation  
Must be living in the wrong generation  
This is your invitation  
Let's get wasted_

_[Vicky]  
Some, somehow (with Simone, Kurt and Melissa: It's a little different when)  
I'm with you (with Simone, Kurt and Melissa: You know what I really am)  
All about (with Simone, Kurt and Melissa: You know how the story goes)  
Oh, oh, oh, oh_

_[Celina, Rachel, Vicky and Santana with Finn Harmonic]  
When it's you and me  
We don't need no one to tell us who to be  
We'll keep turning up the radio  
What if you and I  
Just put up a middle finger to the sky  
Let em' know that we're still rock and roll_

_[Celina]  
Rock N' Roll  
(Finn, Dustin, Kurt and Brody: Hey, Hey, Hey)  
Rock N' Roll  
(Finn, Dustin, Kurt and Brody: Hey, Hey, Hey)  
Rock N' Roll, YEAH!_

_{During the guitar riffs, the scene changes to Celina taking her bags from her boyfriend's apartment and leaving, with a confident smile on her face. Scene changes back to the auditorium when Celina and Finn start singing}_

_[Celina and Finn]  
When it's you and me  
We don't need no one to tell us who to be  
We'll keep turning up the radio_

_[Celina, Rachel, Santana and Simone with Finn Harmonic]  
What if you and I  
Just put up a middle finger to the sky  
Let em' know that we're still rock and roll_

_When it's you and me  
We don't need no one to tell us who to be  
We'll keep turning up the radio  
What if you and I  
Just put up a middle finger to the sky  
Let em' know that we're still rock and roll_

_[Celina]  
Rock N' Roll  
(Finn, Dustin, Kurt and Brody: Hey, Hey, Hey)  
Rock N' Roll  
(Finn, Dustin, Kurt and Brody: Hey, Hey, Hey)_

_{Scene ends with Celina high-fiving Finn and everyone else starts cheering with a smile}_

* * *

_**GUEST STARRING**_

_**Cassadee Pope as Celina Jones**_

_**Ariana Grande as Simone Barberrie**_

_**Victoria Justice as Vicky Martinez**_

_**Jesse McCartney as Dustin Shafer**_

_**Olesya Rulin as Melissa Stewart**_

_**Dean Geyer as Brody Weston**_

_**Kate Hudson as Cassandra July**_

_**Whoopi Goldberg as Madame Tibideaux**_

_**Demi Lovato as Dani**_

_**SONG(S):**_

_**Work Bitch (Originally by Britney Spears): Performed by Kurt Hummel and Santana Lopez with Diner Staff**_

_**Nobody's Home (Originally by Avril Lavigne): Performed by Celina Jones and Finn Hudson**_

_**Rock N' Roll (Originally by Avril Lavigne): Performed by Finn Harmonic**_


	20. 1x20: Clarity

_**Episode Synopsis: **Rachel and Simone finally call a truce to their rivalry, but Santana and Kurt become suspicious when they think Simone is playing both Rachel and Finn. Cassandra tells Rachel that she's not sexy enough to dance the tango, allowing the NYADA Glee Club to assist Rachel in proving Cassandra wrong. Finn continues to stress over the set-list for the Sectional Showcase. _

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Glee, but I wish I did._

_**Note: **All right, so I'm going to start by saying that I'm sorry that I didn't update quickly and that I didn't update the last chapter quickly enough. The thing is I started a new job so my time between my job and the story is kind of pulling me everywhere. Now don't worry, this story is still going to continue, it's just going to take a little longer for me to update it. I can try to promise that I will have one chapter a week. Once again, I want to thank everyone who is reading this story so far and that is enjoying it. On with the newest episode!_

* * *

"All right, I'm going to the store." Rachel yelled from the doorway, holding her purse close to her. "Does anyone need anything? Just tell me now."

"A box of detergent." Kurt said from the sofa, not looking up from his laptop. Finn and Santana were also on the couch, but Finn was looking over sheet music for Sectionals while Santana was lazily watching television. "I need to wash my shirts for when Blaine comes to visit for Sectionals."

"Wait, you invited Blaine to Sectionals?" Santana asked as Finn looked up from the sheets of paper. "Aren't you afraid that somehow Blaine is going to end up on the stage, grabbing a mike and singing in every musical number since everyone thinks it's such a "good" idea for Blaine to sing all the time?"

"Blaine's not going to do that." Kurt pointed a finger at Santana, suddenly turning meek. "I already warned him that he couldn't."

"All right." Rachel sighed. "Santana, do you need anything from the store?"

"Yeah, how about a box of tampons." Santana simply said, causing Finn to contort his face in slight disgust. "Oh please Hudson, like you didn't know girls have their period." Santana noticed Finn's lack of comfort on the subject, looking back to Rachel.

"Okay, tampons." Rachel wrote down the list on her phone so that she wouldn't forget. "Babe, do you want anything?" Rachel turned her attention to Finn. Finn looked up at Rachel, rubbing his temples slightly.

"Do they have anything at the store that can help me organize and divide the set-list songs in my head?" Finn continued to rub his temples, sounding more than stressed.

"I have an idea." Rachel walked over to Finn, rubbing his shoulders. "How about you come with me? You need to relax and unwind. I promise it will help you." Finn looked over at Rachel, finally giving in as he closed the folder and stood up from the sofa.

"All right, but on one condition." Finn said, staring at his fiancée. "I'm not in the aisle when you're buying female…_toiletries_."

"Are you sure about that?" Rachel gave Finn a sly glance, biting her bottom lip. "What about the other things that are in the same aisle? You know the things that we buy that only _we_ can use…" Rachel tiptoed, pressing a kiss to Finn's lips as his smile turned mischievous.

"All right, you win." Finn grabbed his jacket and started sliding the door to the loft open, noticing Rachel looking extremely amused. "Come on Rachel, before the store closes." Rachel giggled, following Finn out the door with a smile. As soon as Finn closed the door, Kurt and Santana looked at the folder Finn left on the desk.

"Should we touch this?" Kurt wondered. "I mean, Finn was working on it and…" Kurt observed Santana simply reaching for the folder and opening it, looking at the set-list Finn had so far.

"I don't believe it." Santana closed the folder, putting it down on the table.

"What? Finn gave you a crappy song?" Kurt chuckled at Santana's disdain.

"No not that…" Santana sighed, pointing to the folder. "He has Simone 'slash' Rachel penciled in for one of the songs."

"Aside from Simone and Rachel hating each other's guts, why is that a bad thing?" Kurt asked, folding his hands.

"You heard what that Simone bitch said to Brody and Cassandra in the auditorium." Santana argued. "She said that she was going to purposely mess up one of those high notes she knows she can hit just so Finn's Glee Club can lose Sectionals. God, I feel like punching her in face."

"But we can't do that." Kurt tried to remind his friend. "Look, I get that you want to help Finn because you love the big lug, but what can we do? Simone does have one of the best voices in Glee Club and there's no way that Finn is going to pass up a chance to let Simone Barberrie take the stage if it means winning Sectionals."

"Well then…" Santana gave Kurt a smirk, causing him to become uncomfortable. "I guess that means that we're going to have to tamper with Simone actually getting the role."

"What do you mean by that?" Kurt wondered. "And why do all of your plans involve me somehow?"

"Because Lady Hummel, you're loyal and they just do involve you." Santana answered. "And don't you love your brother and want him to succeed in life?"

"Yeah, I guess…" Kurt shrugged his shoulders, not sure where Santana was getting at.

"So that means that we're going to have to ruin Simone's chances of getting the solo." Santana tried to open Kurt's eyes. "We're gonna have to be sneaky and intervene. Little Miss Simone…you're about to get Lima'd."

* * *

Finn entered the bedroom the next night, noticing that clothes were thrown all over the floor, skirts were hanging from the ceiling, jeans were in a pile on the bed and shirts were occupying Finn's chair. Finn walked over to Rachel's closet, noticing that she was throwing clothes one by one. Finn caught a couple of her clothes until one of her bras landed on his head. Finn cleared his throat, taking the bra off his head.

"Rachel, if you just wanted to have sex, you could have just said so." Finn chided, holding Rachel's bra. Rachel smirked, taking the bra from Finn and putting it down next to her. Finn noticed Rachel's stress and bent down next to her. "Are you okay, Rach?" Rachel let out an exasperated sigh, shaking her head.

"I have my callback for Funny Girl coming up and I have no idea what I'm going to wear." Rachel said. "This isn't just some school show, this is Broadway and I really wanted to just wow them, Finn."

"And you are going to wow them, Rachel." Finn assured her, rubbing her back. "Rachel you are amazing and you have this talent that is just…incredible. You're going to be fine at your callback, I promise you. Do you already have a song all picked out?"

"Yeah, I do." Rachel nodded her head, staring at Finn. "I just want to make you proud. You've been there for me all this time and…I don't want to disappoint you if I don't get the role."

"Rachel, I'd _never_ be disappointed in you if you didn't get a role." Finn put his hands on her shoulders, gazing into her eyes. "I'd never be upset with you. If there's anyone I'd be upset with, it's the casting directors for failing to see what a beautiful, talented, woman you are. And you don't have to worry about making me proud. I _am_ proud. Look, you're going to be amazing, Rachel and you're going to knock them dead. Like I said, I want you to get the role for _you_. Don't worry about me."

"If I do get the role, you'll be there right?" Rachel asked softly, still looking at Finn.

"What kind of question is that?" Finn softly smiled to her. "Of _course_ I will be there. In the first row of that theatre…just don't expect me to be there _every_ night." Rachel leaned in and kissed Finn, the smile still on her face as Finn responded to the kiss. Finn removed his lips from Rachel's, gazing into her eyes as she put her hands on his cheeks.

"I wasn't expecting that, but how about for the first twenty shows?" Rachel joked, causing Finn to press another kiss on her lips while letting out a chuckle. Rachel parted the kiss once more, Finn finally wondering if there was something else that was wrong.

"Rachel, I know where kissing leads to…and _you_ know where kissing leads to…so why do you keep getting out of the groove?" Finn asked, staring at her.

"I have a serious question for you." Rachel folded her hands, looking down at the ground. "And it's pretty serious."

"Sure, what is it?" Finn continued to look at her, noticing that she was trying her hardest not to cry.

"Finn…do you think I'm sexy?" Finn continued to stare at her as Rachel said those words, not even having to think about his answer.

"Of course I think you're sexy, Rachel." Finn crossed his heart with his finger while he said it. "I promise. You are the sexiest person I've ever seen. You're even sexier than Kate Upton and all the models in the Victoria Secret catalogues."

"Okay, I'm not _that_ sexy." Rachel couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "No way am I 'Kate Upton' sexy."

"Yes you are." Finn pulled Rachel in and hugged her as they both sat on the floor. "What made you think you weren't sexy? I think you're so sexy that you could wear just sweatpants and one of my shirts and you'd be smoking hot." Rachel gripped onto Finn's shirt, a smile tugging her lips.

"Well, we have dance finals coming up and Cassie doesn't think I'm sexy." Rachel sighed. "She refuses to let me dance the tango because it's a 'sexy' dance and I lack 'sex appeal'."

"You do not lack sex appeal." Finn shook his head, feeling upset that Cassandra had put words into Rachel's mind to make Rachel think she wasn't special. "I can _promise_ you that you don't lack it. Why do you think that I keep telling you that you're so freaking beautiful, all the time."

"I thought you only do that when we're in the moment." Rachel corrected him teasingly.

"I think it on a consistent basis." Finn added. "Just staring at you, I think…'my god I can't believe Rachel Berry is my fiancée. She's so beautiful and so sweet and amazing.' And if you want you can go into my brain like in those alien movies and check my thoughts." Rachel laughed, looking at Finn with a smile.

"Thank you." Rachel put a hand on Finn's cheek.

"What? What did _I_ do?" Finn pointed to himself.

"You were your sweet, amazing self." Rachel sat in Finn's lap as she gazed at him. "And you made me feel sexy again."

"I can really make you feel sexy, if you catch my drift." Finn wiggled his eyebrows playfully as Rachel smacked him in the chest softly, letting out a laugh.

"I can't argue with that, now can I?" Rachel kissed Finn quickly, her mind whirring. "But I just wonder…how am I going to get Cassandra to see that I'm sexy enough for my dance final? I know that being a dancer you have to be graceful, but also sexy."

"How about this…" Finn stared at Rachel, noticing her face turning quizzical. "How about I help you on your dance final? I think I can bring out the 'sexy' in you, although you have no problem doing so for me."

"I think that can be helpful." Rachel nodded her head, kissing Finn once more. Rachel parted her lips from Finn's, noticing that he was groaning.

"Rachel…" Finn looked at her with pleading eyes. "How about you put those clothes down and come to bed with me?"

"Well…" Rachel stood up from Finn's lap, holding out her hand for him to take. "I don't know how on earth I could say no to that." Finn let out his signature goofy grin as he took a hold of Rachel's hand, Rachel pulling him up from the floor as she kissed him tenderly on the lips.

* * *

Santana entered the dance studio the next afternoon, finding Simone standing in front of the mirror as she practiced on her deep breathing. Santana shook her head, leaning against the wall while Simone continued to pretend Santana wasn't there. After a few moments, Santana let out a sigh, walking over to Simone and leaned against one of the bars.

"I know what you're up to." Santana said. Simone turned her head to Santana, giving Santana a smirk of her own. "I know what you're up to and it's going to stop now before I go all Lima Heights on your ass."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Simone feigned her innocence. "Whatever are you talking about, Santana?"

"I'm talking about what you're going to do to Finn and Rachel." Santana glared at Simone. "I know that you're going to sabotage Sectionals and Rachel's _Funny Girl_ callback. There is _no_ way that I am going to let you hurt my friends."

"Finn? Rachel? Your friends? Good one." Simone scoffed.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Santana scrunched her face in anger. "They are my friends."

"Oh really? Why are Finn and Rachel your friends?" Simone crossed her arms. "I'm just curious, after all. I like to know my enemies before I ripped them apart one by one."

"All right, look Simone. I can see right through your 'bitch' act." Santana said. "You're scared inside but you project yourself by making yourself look like a bitch."

"Oh really? What makes _you_ so sure?" Simone looked away from Santana, not eyeing her.

"Because _I _used to do the same thing." Santana said softly. "Look, I know what it's like—no one understands you, you have to be tough because everyone could push you around at any given moment. But you need to understand that there's nothing wrong with showing some emotion once in a while. I know, life sucks, I'm sure. But you need to stop making everyone want to get away from you and you have to show everyone that you do really care about others."

"You still didn't answer my question. Why are you friends with Finn and Rachel?" Simone seemed adamant to get an answer from Santana.

"Because even though they're like those scabs that are impossible to peel off no matter how hard I try, they are there for me when I need them, and I'd like to give them the same courtesy that I'm there for them when they need my help." Santana sighed. "Now are we done talking about them so I can move on? Don't do anything stupid. Not only could you guys lose, Finn could get kicked out of NYADA and he worked hard to get in here. It'd be a shame if someone like you wrecked it for him."

"Maybe he's not the one I'm after." Simone looked away from Santana to face the mirror. Santana thought about it for a moment, heading next to Simone and sitting down.

"Wait a minute, you're not after Finn to get kicked out…you're out there to make Rachel miserable." Santana shook her head. "Why are you making Rachel's life harder than it needs to be?"

"Because I want Finn, that's why!" Simone yelled. "He's everything that I could have dreamed for. He passed everything on my guy checklist. He's smart, he's funny, he can sing, he's nice…but all those things don't matter because Finn's with Rachel."

"Making Rachel miserable is not going to make Finn love you." Santana stood up from the floor. "That's just going to push him away even more."

"So what's going to make him love me? Hmm? You seem so sure about these things, what's going to make Finn love me?" Simone sounded exasperated.

"To be honest with you…_nothing_ is going to make Finn love you." Santana shrugged her shoulders. "He loves Rachel, plain and simple."

"What does he see in her anyway?" Simone walked away, heading towards the doors of the dance studio.

"I can't answer that because I don't know myself." Santana called after her. "Look, if you want to know, ask Finn. Maybe Finn can tell you—but Simone no matter what you do, you can't change Finn's mind about Rachel. He's hung up on her. And I'm not going to let you get in the way of Finn and Rachel. Everyone deserves to be happy, even cold hearted bitches like you…" Santana made her way past Simone, exiting the dance studio and going towards the hallway. Simone looked out the dance studio doorway and as if it was scripted from a movie, she saw Finn and Rachel walking hand in hand towards the auditorium. Simone was seething—she wished she could have had Finn; but she was going to have to find a way to get rid of Rachel in the process.

_{Simone watches Finn and Rachel walk down the hallway and she looks upset, slowly following them as she stares at Finn}_

_[Simone]  
Yeah_

_Baby I seen the chick you're with  
Wish that I never did  
Freaking perfect and 5'10  
Just wanna punch her lip  
Cause I know I've been wasting time  
Trying to catch your eye  
Yeah I know that I've been so blind  
Thinking that I'm your type_

_And now I'm at home and all alone  
About to pick up the telephone  
Got to call my genie so he knows, yeah_

_I wish I was tall  
I wish I was fast  
I wish I could shop with a bag full of cash  
Cause if I want you, I gotta have that  
Come, come kiss me boy  
I wish I had style  
I wish I had flash  
I wish I woke up with a butt and a rack  
Cause if I want you, I gotta have that  
Come, come kiss me boy_

_{Scene changes to Finn and Simone in class and Simone watches Finn as Finn writes something down on paper and listens to the teacher}_

_Baby, I'm gonna keep it real  
Boy you're the one I want  
I don't own any five inch heels  
Just got my Nike's on  
Never thought I was insecure  
Boy look at what you've done  
I don't know what I studied for  
Clearly you like them dumb_

_And now I'm at home and all alone  
About to pick up the telephone  
Got to call my genie so he knows, yeah_

_{Scene changes to dance class and Simone dances with the dancers, staring over at Finn who's not looking at her but talking to Rachel as Rachel giggles}_

_I wish I was tall  
I wish I was fast  
I wish I could shop with a bag full of cash  
Cause if I want you, I gotta have that  
Come, come kiss me boy  
I wish I had style  
I wish I had flash  
I wish I woke up with a butt and a rack  
Cause if I want you, I gotta have that  
Come, come kiss me boy_

_{Scene changes to the auditorium and the Glee Club watches Simone looks at Finn but Finn's oblivious to Simone's glances}_

_Yeah!_

_I wish I was tall  
I wish I was fast  
I wish I could shop with a bag full of cash  
Cause if I want you, I gotta have that  
Come, come kiss me boy  
I wish I had style  
I wish I had flash  
I wish I woke up with a butt and a rack  
Cause if I want you, I gotta have that  
Come, come kiss me boy_

_I wish I was tall_

_Cause if I want you, I gotta have that  
Come, come kiss me boy_

_I wish I had, I wish I had, I wish I had, yeah, yeah_

_Cause if I want you, I got have that  
Come, come kiss me boy_

As soon as Simone finished her performance, the other Glee Club members watched her in silence, none of them getting up from their seats to cheer her on. The smile she _did_ have on her face vanished and turned into a pout. Finn looked around at the other members, finally clapping his hands so that Simone wouldn't feel upset about her performance while Rachel reluctantly joined him.

"That was great." Finn stood up as Simone got down on the stage, taking her seat behind everyone else. "Wasn't that great guys?"

"I guess…" Vicky shrugged her shoulders, looking over to her friends.

"It was okay…" Melissa added, staring over at Celina.

"I think it was…interesting." Celina said. Finn crossed his arms while shaking his head.

"Guys, in this room we support one another. I don't know what goes on out these doors but in here we give our support." Finn scolded. "I don't want to hear anything else about if songs were 'maybe' good. That was great, Simone." Finn turned his head to Simone, giving her a small smile. Simone studied Finn for a moment, finally letting out a smile of her own. Rachel stared at Simone, giving her rival a small smile. Just like Finn said, they had to support one another—even if Simone was her number one enemy. Simone and Rachel shared eye contact with one another, Simone still studying Rachel's smile. Simone slowly reciprocated the smile, the both of them looking at one another with a grin.

* * *

After Glee Club ended, Rachel started to make her way over to her playwriting class in order to get some clarification on the homework assignment that was due the next morning. Rachel spotted Simone walking out of the auditorium, making her way to her locker and from the look on her face; it looked like Simone was in a terrible mood. Rachel considered Finn's words from Glee Club, making her way to Simone with a smile on her face.

"Hi Simone." Rachel waved slowly, noticing that Simone was staring right at her.

"Hi?" Simone raised an eyebrow to Rachel. "Can I help you with something?" Rachel took a deep breath at Simone's snarky attitude, keeping the smile on her face.

"I just wanted to tell you that you did a great job in Glee Club today." Rachel said. "I mean, you were just amazing. Some of those notes you hit, kind of makes me question my vocal registry." Simone sounded surprised that Rachel complimented her vocals. Simone secretly thought that Rachel had the best vocals in Glee Club. Then again, she decided to be wary. Maybe Finn put her up to being nice to her since no one else was nice.

"I don't get why you're so worried about other people's vocals." Simone shrugged her shoulders, looking down at her sheet music. "I mean, you obviously know that you're talented and everyone just _loves_ you here. Even the teachers are crazy about you."

"That's not true." Rachel shook her head, leading Simone to scoff.

"Yes it is." Simone said as she rolled her eyes. "All the teachers _love_ Rachel Berry. They say that you're so talented and that you're the crème de le crème. You're like the delicious cream at the top of the milkshakes, the one that everyone wants and once they get a taste of it, they want more. Me, I could belt out any note I wanted yet no one likes me. I wonder why that could be?" Simon walked past Rachel, but Rachel wasn't going to give up. She was going to get Simone to like her even if it was the last thing that she did.

"Maybe no one likes you because you don't like anyone." Rachel followed Simone down the hallway. "Simone, I'm sure that under all that competitiveness, there's a girl that's so loveable that no one can keep their eyes off of."

"Oh really?" Simone turned around after hearing Rachel's words. "So you think I'm mean?"

"Well…I wouldn't say that you're mean…" Rachel tried to dance around it. "I just think that maybe you're…intense."

"How am I intense?" Simone asked, shrugging her shoulders.

"You always fight everyone for a solo and as I recall, you handcuffed Finn to one of the chairs in the auditorium in order to force him to listen to you." Rachel let out a slight chuckle. "Simone, sometimes it's okay to want to be the best out of everyone there, but there's a fine line between being in your face and being confident." Simone looked over at Rachel as if she was truly thinking.

"What do _you_ think of me?" Simone asked after a moment of silence. Rachel continued to stare over at Simone, noticing that Simone looked remorseful. "You think I'm some sort of monster, don't you?"

"No…" Rachel walked over to Simone, motioning her to come closer. "I don't think that you're a monster." Rachel put her hands on Simone's shoulders, looking at Simone with a smile. "I see me when I look at you—well the old me. You're so determined and you're willing to do whatever it takes to get what you want…but you have to put your guard down Simone. Remember, we're teammates on the same Glee Club. We don't have to fight each other, and let's face it we can both _really_ sing." Simone smiled at Rachel, nodding her head. "You don't have to worry. I'm not after you and I won't be. You're an amazing talent Simone, but you have to let people see that you're just as amazing as your talent. Look, maybe we got off on the wrong foot; I know we did...which is why I think that we should start anew." Rachel took her hands off Simone's shoulder and extended one of her hands to Simone. "Hi, I'm Rachel Berry and I'm your teammate." Simone couldn't help but grin, taking Rachel's hand and shaking it.

"Hi, I'm Simone Barberrie." Simone smiled. Rachel and Simone grinned at one another for a few more moments before letting each other's hands go. "So…now that we're teammates…tell me, what's going on between you and Cassie?"

"What do you mean?" Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"I heard that Cassie had decided not to let you dance the tango because she didn't deem you 'sexy' enough for it." Simone said as the two of them started to make their way down the hallway.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. Finn's trying to help me there." Rachel answered, looking at Simone.

"Let me guess, you're going to choreograph some sexy routine that's almost going to have Finn begging to have a piece of you after the performance?" Simone let out a chuckle while shaking her head. "That's not sexy. That's leaving nothing to the imagination."

"So what do you think we should do?" Rachel wondered.

"Beat Cassandra at her own game." Simone faced Rachel, looking as if she was hatching a plan of her own. "You have to do a number that's sexy yet—shows off your talents. Don't you have that callback for _Funny Girl_ coming up?"

"Yeah…" Rachel looked over at Simone while nodding her head.

"Well then…" Simone smirked, looking into Rachel's eyes. "You have to use your talents of Broadway against Cassandra July. It's the only way."

* * *

"I'm still so confused!" Finn exclaimed as Kurt and Santana sat there in the auditorium, looking through sheet music. "There's this one song that I think both Rachel and Simone would sing, but since Simone doesn't want to share the spotlight, there's no way in hell they can both sing it. The problem is now I have to choose the person I want to sing without using my personal reasoning."

"What do you mean by that?" Kurt looked to his brother, raising an eyebrow.

"If I give Rachel the solo, then it will look like I'm favoring her because we're going to get married." Finn sighed. "But if I give Simone the solo, then I'm going to feel bad because Rachel didn't get the solo—that and Simone's crazy."

"Yeah, she's totally cray-cray." Santana added, not looking up from her nails.

"It's so hard." Finn ran a hand through his hair as he continued to look at the sheet. "I hate doing this…"

"My god, Finn." Santana slapped Finn in the arm, causing him to let out a yelp.

"Santana, what the hell is wrong with you?" Kurt looked over to Santana. "Finn's not your personal punching bag."

"He's wallowing in his own bull-crap, that's the problem." Santana said. "Finn, stop acting like a bitch and make a decision already. It's pretty obvious; just give the solo to Rachel!"

"Did you just say I'm acting like a bitch?" Finn ignored Santana's recommendation, still gazing at her in shock.

"I'm sorry; did you want me to say that you're a pansy?" Santana glared at Finn. "Finn, you're obsessing over this. Simone's not nice and Rachel needs to prepare for the _Funny Girl_ callback thing."

"One problem with that, the callbacks are before Sectionals." Finn answered.

"So what? Rachel should still get the solo." Santana said. "Simone's only interested in herself." Santana, Kurt and Finn heard the auditorium door open, noticing Rachel and Simone walking over to Finn with a smile.

"Hey…" Finn looked at both Rachel and Simone, a little baffled that they weren't at each other's throats. What was this transformation? "Hey, was there something you both needed?"

"We need that song." Rachel pointed at the song sheet Finn had in his hand. "For the both of us, scrap it for Sectionals."

"Um…the both of you?" Finn pointed to Rachel and Simone, noticing their heads were shaking vigorously. "Is there something wrong?"

"Simone gave me a great idea on how I could be sexy, but classy." Rachel smiled widely. Finn started to smile towards Simone, looking impressed.

"Really, Simone?" Finn smiled. Simone nodded her head to him with a smile. "Wow, that's amazing. All right, you both can get the song."

"But we'd need the entire Glee Club in order to pull this off." Rachel looked to Santana and Kurt with hope in her eyes.

"Sure, why not." Kurt agreed.

"I'm down." Santana said. Rachel clapped her hands while looking at Simone but Santana continued to look at Simone with interest. There was something off about Simone wanting to be Rachel's friend all of a sudden, and Santana was going to get to the bottom of it.

* * *

Cassandra watched some of the senior NYADA dancers practice for the Sectional Showcase, but her mind continued to wander towards Finn Hudson and his dopey Glee Club. She had never hated a student in her years of being a teacher at NYADA—ever. However, there was something about Finn that made her want to just throw something at him, or possibly ram her car into him in the school parking lot. As Cassandra was plotting Finn's demise, she noticed Rachel entering with the rest of the Glee Club, the ladies wearing black and gold dance leotards with high heels and the guys wearing black t-shirts, black pants and dress shoes. Cassandra leaned back in her chair for a moment, gazing right at Rachel with interest.

"What do you want Schwimmer. You're wasting my time." Cassandra looked back down at her grade book, causing Rachel to clear her throat.

"You said that you didn't think that I was sexy enough to dance the tango. You also said that I didn't have enough sex appeal." Rachel walked towards Cassandra as she folded her hands. "I wanted to prove to you that I do have the 'sexy' factor."

"Oh trust me, Schwimmer you don't." Cassandra smirked. "You're as sexy as a broom. However, I would like to see you make a fool of yourself so go ahead. It would make my day worthwhile." Cassandra started to motion for the senior NYADA dancers to move but Simone stopped them before they headed to the sidelines.

"We're going to need to borrow some of your dancers since there aren't enough boys in our Glee Club." Simone said. Cassandra leaned back in her chair, staring intently at the Glee Club but mostly kept her eyes on Rachel. Rachel _thought_ she was sexy but in the end it was up to _Cassandra_ to decide.

_{The girl 'Finn Harmonic' members snap their fingers as Rachel and Simone walk ahead and do their own choreographic dance}_

_[Finn Harmonic Girls]  
Remember, Remember, Remember, Remember,  
Remember, Remember, Remember, Remember_

_[Rachel]  
Baby look at me and tell me what you see  
You ain't seen the best of me yet  
Give me time and I'll make you forget the rest_

_[Simone]  
I got more in me and you can set it free  
I can catch the moon in my hand  
Don't you know who I am?  
Remember my name (Finn Harmonic Girls: Fame!)_

_{Simone grabs Brody and Rachel grabs Finn and starts dancing with them while the other members circle around them in order to make Rachel and Simone stand out}_

_[Rachel and Simone]  
I'm gonna live forever  
I'm gonna learn how to fly (Finn Harmonic Girls: High!)  
I feel it coming together  
People will see me and cry (Finn Harmonic Girls: Fame!)  
I'm gonna make it to heaven  
Light up the sky like a flame (Finn Harmonic Girls: Fame!)  
I'm gonna live forever  
Baby, remember my name_

_[Finn Harmonic Girls]  
Remember, Remember, Remember, Remember,  
Remember, Remember, Remember, Remember_

_{Brody and Simone jump on one of the long tables as Brody and Simone start waltzing on one of the tables}_

_[Simone]  
Baby hold me tight, cause you can make it right  
You can shoot me straight to the top  
Give me love and take all I got to give_

_{Rachel grabs Finn and starts dancing the tango with him and Rachel smiles into Finn's eyes as he twirls her around}_

_[Rachel]  
Baby I'll be tough, too much is not enough  
I can ride your heart till it breaks  
Cause I got what it takes  
Remember my name! (Finn Harmonic Girls: Fame!)_

_{Rachel and Simone grab Brody and Finn and start dancing with them while the other members do their own choreograph dance around them}_

_[Rachel and Simone]  
I'm gonna live forever  
I'm gonna learn how to fly (Finn Harmonic Girls: High!)  
I feel it coming together  
People will see me and cry (Finn Harmonic Girls: Fame!)  
I'm gonna make it to heaven  
Light up the sky like a flame (Finn Harmonic Girls: Fame!)  
I'm gonna live forever  
Baby, remember my name_

_{Rachel and Simone grab the girls and start snapping their fingers and dancing as they look at one another}_

_[Finn Harmonic Girls]  
Remember, Remember, Remember, Remember, (Rachel: Remember my name)  
Remember, Remember, Remember, Remember (Simone; Remember my name)  
Remember, Remember, Remember, Remember (Rachel: Remember my name)  
Remember, Remember, Remember, Remember (Simone; OH! REMEMBER MY NAME!)  
FAME!_

_{All of Finn Harmonic start dancing with the NYADA dance seniors and Rachel and Simone look at each other with a smile}_

_[Rachel]  
I'm gonna live forever  
(With Simone: I'm gonna learn how to fly!) [Finn Harmonic Girls: High!)  
I feel it coming together  
(With Simone: People will see me and cry) [Finn Harmonic Girls: Fame!]_

_[Rachel and Simone]  
I'm gonna make it to heaven  
Light up the sky like a flame (Finn Harmonic Girls: Fame!)  
I'm gonna live forever  
Baby, remember my name_

_{Rachel and Simone dance over to Cassandra with Finn and Brody and Rachel crosses her arms with a satisfied smirk}_

_[Finn Harmonic Girls]  
Remember, Remember, Remember, Remember_

_[Rachel]  
Remember my name. _

Cassandra continued to gaze at Rachel, letting out a sigh as she shook her head. Rachel and Simone gazed at one another, hoping that they had gotten the point across. Rachel knew she was good enough to do the tango. She just needed Cassandra to give her a chance.

"I'm sexy and I'm perfect just the way I am." Rachel proclaimed, causing Finn to release a smile towards her. "Besides, I looked it up in the NYADA hand guide. You can't prevent me from learning a dance because that's hindering my education. I'm paying money to learn…and I'm not going to let you get in my way of learning. So are you going to let me dance the tango or not?" Cassandra continued to look at Rachel, her mind beginning to churn. After a moment, Cassandra folded her hands, letting out a sigh.

"You have a lot of spunk don't you?" Cassandra finally said, but her voice sounded disgusted. "Let me just tell you one thing. New York is a dog eat dog town. It's not going to be easy…and I'll do my very best to make sure that I'm the dog that eats you alive—that goes for you too Frankenteen." Finn turned back to Santana, noticing that Santana was about to charge Cassandra for stealing that name. "You can dance the tango but I will make sure that I make your life a living hell while doing it. You think I won't? _Try me_." Cassandra got up from her seat, making her way towards the exit. After Cassandra left, Rachel stood there feeling satisfied. She was able to get what she wanted because she never gave up. Rachel turned around to her teammates, folding her hands and giving them a wide smile.

"Thank you guys so much." Rachel said. "You really are the best team a girl could ask for…especially you Simone." Rachel faced Simone, noticing that Simone was just staring at her with a beam. "I had you all wrong. You really do care about everyone around you…someone just had to care for you. Now…I'm going to hug you." Simone grinned as Rachel embraced Simone, the other members clapping for Rachel and Simone…now glad that they were friends. The only two people not buying it were Kurt and Santana. They weren't convinced that someone could change overnight. They _really_ weren't convinced.

* * *

Santana entered the diner for her shift, but she noticed that she wasn't going to be the only one there until Finn and Rachel arrived. Dani was working behind the counter, wiping it and pouring salt in the saltshakers. Santana released a sigh, knowing she had to say something sooner or later. Santana stood across from Dani, holding one of the saltshakers in order to help her. Dani didn't look up at Santana, but continued to pour the salt into the shakers.

"So…" Santana started by saying, still looking at the saltshakers. "How have you been?"

"I've been fine…" Dani shrugged her shoulders. "It's been…quiet."

"Okay, Dani…look." Santana sighed, causing Dani to stare at her. "I'm sorry that I was with Brittany when you were gone. Okay? But I don't know, I'm really confused here. I don't know what I'm doing…I really don't know. This is the first time that I've ever had feelings for someone while I still had feelings or Brittany. You just…you have to bear with me here. I'm a confused jumbled mess, even more so since Finn forced me to join his Glee Club so that they'd have enough members for Sectionals. I don't know…I…" Santana shook her head, staring to walk away from Dani. "I'd understand if you never wanted to talk to me again."

"You know I was pretty mad when I found out that you were with Brittany." Dani said as she watched Santana. "I guess that was me over exaggerating."

"What do you mean?" Santana turned back to Dani.

"I realized that you're going to always going to love that person that you broke up with." Dani shrugged her shoulders. "Brittany was your first love, I get that. Just like Rachel is Finn's first love. Look, I guess that was just me being jealous and I understand that you're confused." Dani walked from behind the counter over to Santana, taking one of Santana's hands in hers. "But if this is going to work then you're going to have to be committed to me."

"I know." Santana nodded her head. "I completely agree." Santana then looked down to the ground, letting out a sigh. "Which is why this can't work."

"I think I'd have to agree too…" Dani spoke after a moment of silence. "Maybe this wasn't meant to work out…but we can always be friends." Santana looked to Dani, nodding her head with a sincere smile.

"I would like that." Santana hugged Dani tightly, Dani reciprocating the hug. Santana broke the hug, still staring at Dani before heading towards the counter. "So you have to tell me about Daft Punk and Oakland. Were they really that amazing?"

"Oh yes…yes they were." Dani laughed as she made her way to Santana, discussing her trip to Oakland.

* * *

Santana entered the loft later that evening, noticing that the lights were off in the living room. Santana gave a bored expression, flipping the switch on, only to find Rachel and Finn making out on the living room couch. Santana walked over to Finn and Rachel and with a devious smirk, she slapped Finn in the back of the head. Finn removed his lips from Rachel's, to emit a cry of pain. Finn turned around to spot Santana, grumbling as he and Rachel sat up.

"I'm surprised that Kurt's not here with a Nerf water gun, spraying at you in order to get you both to stop." Santana smirked. "Where is Kurt anyway?"

"He's in his room, video chatting with Blaine." Finn grumbled, rubbing the back of his head from where Santana slapped him. "Is there something you wanted, Santana?"

"Well, I was just going to head to my room and probably call Brittany or something." Santana shrugged her shoulders.

"Wait, Brittany?" Finn questioned as Rachel shared the same muddled expression. "What happened to Dani?"

"Dani and I decided that it wouldn't have worked out since I'm still in a phase where I don't know what I want yet." Santana sat down on the comfy car seat chair, looking down at her nails.

"Santana, I'm so sorry." Rachel apologized. Santana shook her head, letting out a small smile.

"It's okay, Rachel." Santana said. "We're still friends. We are. It's just…remember when you asked me if I still had feelings for Brittany?" Rachel nodded her head at Santana's question before Santana continued. "I do…I really, really do. I just want to find the right time for us to get together again…"

"Take all the time you need, Santana." Rachel said. "Remember, us being in New York is a challenge for us to find ourselves and become someone in this world."

"Well, I hope I find myself soon." Santana shrugged her shoulders. "So…are you ready for your _Funny Girl_ callback?"

"You know what? I am." Rachel looked at Finn who was smiling back at her. "I'm ready. I'm truly ready. I'm going to give it all I got and hopefully that will be enough."

"It's going to be enough." Finn said to her. "Because you are _so_ talented, and you're amazing…you're going to knock them dead…I know you will."

"You think so?" Rachel grinned.

"I _know_ so." Finn told her as he wrapped his arms around her. Santana smiled at both Finn and Rachel, letting out a small chuckle. Usually when their lips were tethered to one another, Santana found it annoying but hearing how supportive they were of one another made Santana smile. They truly were perfect for one another. Rachel, Santana and Finn noticed Kurt coming out of the room, giving his friends a warm grin.

"Yay, Kurt came to join us." Santana said with a wide beam as Rachel clapped her hands. Kurt sat down next to Finn and Rachel while Santana stared at them. "So Lady Hummel, how is Blaine doing?"

"Blaine says everything is great." Kurt shrugged his shoulders. "He said that Regionals is coming up soon and they're practicing really hard."

"I can bet it." Rachel said while Finn gazed over at Kurt. "The long distance thing is pretty hard, huh?"

"Just a little bit…but Blaine's coming in a couple of weeks to see Finn's Glee Club." Kurt smiled at his brother. "Mr. Schuester's also coming and so are some of the New Directions. They can't wait to see it."

"If I don't make a fool of myself, first." Finn sighed, leaning back on the couch.

"You're not." Kurt said. "And do you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because those kids look like they're having the time of their lives and they look ready for competition." Kurt soothed Finn. "It's going to be fine. They're going to be ready because you're teaching them. You taught them how to work together as a team and I'm sure that you've made an impact in their lives. You should be _so_ proud of yourself."

"You know what, Kurt?" Finn's face shone with confidence. "You're right. I mean those kids look like they _love_ being in Glee Club…and you know who changed for the better under my control? Simone." Kurt and Santana tensed at Simone's name, but Finn didn't notice. "I bet it was me telling everyone to accept her that made her change her attitude for the Glee Club. She seems to love it now and she won't be so difficult to deal with now that she has friends there. I mean, right?" Kurt and Santana gave Finn a nod of their heads but they gave each other a worried glance. Finn had no idea what Simone was capable of—but Kurt and Santana did.

* * *

Simone headed into the dance studio the next afternoon after getting a note from who she thought was Finn to meet her there. She looked around for Finn's tall figure, but instead she spotted Santana and Kurt standing by one of the dance bars. Simone raised an eyebrow towards Kurt and Santana, crossing her arms and staring at them as if she had no idea what they wanted from her.

"What are you two doing here?" Simone asked, shrugging her shoulders. "Glee Club's not for another twenty minutes?"

"Look, you may have gotten everyone to see your goody, goody act…but we can see right through you." Kurt said, pointing at Simone. "You may have fooled Finn into think that he's reformed you and you may have fooled Rachel that she thinks you're her friend but Santana and I know you're still the same cold hearted bitch that we saw when we first laid our eyes on you." Simone's innocent act disappeared, a smirk appearing on her face.

"Whatever gave it away?" Simone scoffed towards them.

"No one can be reformed like that in the matter of a week." Santana said. "It's not possible."

"It took Santana three years to reform herself." Kurt pointed to Santana. "What we want to know is why? Why are you so intent on going after Finn and Rachel after they've done nothing but support you since day one? Rachel thinks you have an amazing voice and Finn thinks that you're misunderstood yet you're still very talented. I happen to think there's nothing misunderstood about you. You're cold, pathetic and sad…and when Finn and Rachel find out they are going to come after you like there is no tomorrow."

"Finn and Rachel aren't going to find out I've been playing them." Simone's smirk disappeared, her expression turning dangerous. "If you even so much _whisper_ about my ruse to Finn and Rachel I will make sure that I make your lives hell. I'll start by making sure that you're no longer apart of the Glee Club. I have more than one person on my side."

"Let me guess, Cassandra the Bitch and Brody the Man Whore?" Santana said.

"Exactly." Simone said. "If our calculations are precise, Finn and Rachel will be miserable and they'll want to be far away from each other as possible, especially when Rachel doesn't get the _Funny Girl_ part."

"Wait, why wouldn't Rachel get the _Funny Girl_ part?" Kurt asked, facing Simone with interest.

"Because Kurt, it's simple…I'm going to the callback." Simone let out a fake laugh. "See, my daddy has like a million Tony Awards so all he had to do was say the word and I was in callbacks. Unfortunately he can't give me the role which means it will be up to me to pry the role from Rachel's unsuspecting hands."

"But you helped her…with Cassandra, we saw you." Santana said.

"Cassandra sure knows how to act, doesn't she?" Simone said. "She wanted to make Rachel's life hell. I'm sure you would have known that…did you?"

"Simone, we're not going to let you toy with Rachel and Finn's emotions." Kurt strictly said.

"And what happens if I do?" Simone walked closer to Kurt and Santana as she let out a chortle. "There's nothing you can do about it. I have the brains to make you look like a liar. And by the time that this is all done with, you're going to be out of the Glee Club, Rachel's not going to get the role and Finn will be out of school and mine. There's _nothing_ you pathetic losers can do about it. Now…let's go. We have Glee Club." Simone turned on her heels, walking away from Kurt and Santana who gazed in misperception. There was no way that Santana and Kurt could make things clear enough for Finn and Rachel to see how much of a jerk Simone was—especially since Simone had both Kurt and Santana wrapped around her little finger.

_{Scene changes to the NYADA Auditorium for the Glee Club rehearsal. The girls wear sparkly black dresses with high heels and the boys wear black dress shirts, black dress slacks and black dress shoes. Rachel stands in the middle of the stage, staring out as she's imagining an audience}_

_[Rachel]  
High dive into frozen waves where the past comes back to life  
Fight fear for the selfish pain, it was worth it every time  
Hold still right before we crash cause we both know how this ends  
A clock ticks till it breaks your glass, and I drown in you again_

_Cause you are the piece of me  
I wish I didn't need  
Chasing relentlessly  
Still fight and I don't know why_

_{Finn comes down from his position on the stage as he stares over at Rachel with a loving gaze. Rachel and Finn meet each other in the middle of the stage as Finn runs his thumb across Rachel's cheek}_

_[Rachel and Finn]  
If our love is tragedy, why are you my remedy  
If our love is insanity, why are you my clarity_

_{Finn Harmonic start walking down the stage as Finn and Rachel dance along with them. Simone looks at Rachel and smiles at her as Rachel smiles back, but when Rachel turns away Simone gives Santana and Kurt an evil smirk as she dances around them.}_

_[Finn and Kurt with Finn Harmonic]  
Hey-ay, Hey-ay,  
Hey-ay, Hey-ay,  
Hey-ay, Hey-ay,  
Hey-ay, Hey-ay,_

_[Rachel and Finn]  
If our love is tragedy, why are you my remedy  
If our love is insanity, why are you my clarity_

_{Finn and Rachel go the opposite direction on the stage as Santana and Kurt come down. Santana looks out at the auditorium, thinking about how Simone is blinding both Finn and Rachel along with the Glee Club}_

_[Santana]  
Walk on through a red parade and refuse to make amends  
It cuts deep through our ground and makes us forget all common sense  
Don't speak as I try to leave cause we both know what we'll chose  
If you pull then I push too deep and I'll fall right back to you_

_[Santana and Kurt]  
Cause you are the piece of me  
I wish I didn't need  
Chasing relentlessly  
Still fight and I don't know why_

_If our love is tragedy, why are you my remedy  
If our love is insanity, why are you my clarity_

_[Finn and Kurt with Finn Harmonic]  
Hey-ay, Hey-ay,  
Hey-ay, Hey-ay,  
Hey-ay, Hey-ay,  
Hey-ay, Hey-ay,_

_[Rachel and Santana]  
Why are you my clarity  
Why are you my remedy  
Why are you my clarity  
Why are you my remedy_

_{All of Finn Harmonic join in the middle of the auditorium as Rachel, Finn, Santana and Kurt walk towards the edge and stare out at the auditorium}_

_[Rachel, Santana, Kurt and Finn]  
If our love is tragedy, why are you my remedy  
If our love is insanity, why are you my clarity_

_{Song ends as they all look out the auditorium as the screen fades to black}_

* * *

_**GUEST STARRING**_

_**Ariana Grande as Simone Barberrie**_

_**Kate Hudson as Cassandra July**_

_**Cassadee Pope as Celina Jones**_

_**Victoria Justice as Vicky Martinez**_

_**Jesse McCartney as Dustin Shafer**_

_**Olesya Rulin as Melissa Stewart**_

_**Dean Geyer as Brody Weston**_

_**Demi Lovato as Dani**_

_**SONG(S):**_

_**I Wish (Originally by Cher Lloyd feat T.I.): Performed by Simone Barberrie**_

_**Fame (Remember My Name) [Originally from the Musical 'Fame']: Performed by Rachel Berry and Simone Barberrie with Finn Harmonic**_

_**Clarity (Originally by Zedd feat. Foxes): Performed by Rachel Berry, Finn Hudson, Santana Lopez and Kurt Hummel with Finn Harmonic**_


	21. 1x21: We Own The Night

_**Episode Synopsis: **Rachel has her callback for _Funny Girl_ but has to deal with a Simone-sized dilemma. Finn and Cassandra wage war upon each other after Cassandra ruins Finn's property for Sectionals. Brody questions his loyalty to Cassandra._

_**Disclaimer:**_I do not own Glee, but I wish I did. All right! We are just ONE chapter away from the Season One Finale of "Glee: The New York Story". Next week is as you guessed it, Sectionals! It will be intense! It will be shocking! And people _will get tested_! But...let's focus on Rachel's callback first. Here's the newest episode of "Glee: the New York Story. I hope you enjoy everyone!

* * *

"_I CAN SING HIGH AND SING LOW!"_

Finn exited the bedroom rubbing his eyes as he made his way to the bathroom. Normally when he'd wake up he would be in a great mood—this morning was a little different. For one thing, Rachel was warming up her vocal cords in the shower. Finn didn't usually have a problem with Rachel warming up her voice, he actually liked hearing her loosen her voice up so that she could sing to the best of her ability. He just didn't like hearing Rachel warm up her vocal cords at 4:30 in the morning. Finn opened the bathroom door, hearing Rachel in the shower as he walked over to the shower and crossed his arms.

"Rachel." Finn sounded almost annoyed. Rachel stopped warming up her vocals and opened the shower curtain slightly, noticing that Finn wasn't amused. "Rachel, it's 4:30 in the morning and I'm trying to sleep. I didn't sleep last night."

"I recall that you didn't sleep last night because you were too busy playing _Call of Duty_ with Puck." Rachel reminded him. Finn thought back to the memory, trying to remember what happened the night before.

* * *

"_I'm gonna find you Puckerman, and when I do you're a dead man." Finn spoke into his headset as he played the video game on the living room couch. "Oh you think that you can get away from me, I don't think so!" Finn was too busy playing that he didn't notice Santana entering the room, grabbing Finn's spare controller and started to play herself. "Santana? Santana what are you doing? You're messing up the mission! No!" Santana found Puck in the video game, using the weapons to shoot his character. A few presses of the buttons—and Santana killed both Finn and Puck's soldiers. Santana handed the controller back to Finn, leaving Finn in a state of shock._

"_It's 2:30 in the morning. Go to bed." Santana turned away from Finn as she entered her bedroom, leaving Finn to sit on the couch in tremor._

"_Dude…she killed us." Finn said into the headset._

* * *

"All right, so I was playing _Call of Duty_ till almost three in the morning." Finn shrugged his shoulders. "I'm a dude. It happens."

"Finn I don't know if you remembered but I have an audition later today, so I'm just trying to make sure my vocal cords are as loose as possible." Rachel said. Finn's brain was still in a fog, but he managed to remember that Rachel did have an audition, and she was probably trying to calm her nerves.

"That's right, I forgot. The _Funny Girl_ callbacks are today, right?" Finn rubbed his eyes while Rachel nodded her head. Finn let out a tired sigh, as he got closer to Rachel. "It's going to be fine. You were made for this role. You just have to put your own stamp on it, that's all."

"And how do I do that?" Rachel sounded worried. "I want the producers to see how different I am, but to be honest, there's nothing that's different about me. Maybe I should just give up. I mean, there are other community plays that are out there that I can do."

"Rachel." Finn shook his head slowly. "You're not going to give up on this. I refuse to let you. You're going to go to the callback, you're going to wow them and then you're going to get the part. I can already see it happening. Besides, you're not the only one that's nervous about something."

"And what do you possibly have to be nervous about?" Rachel wondered.

"Sectionals are next week." Finn let out a chuckle. "Why do you think I've been buying a bunch of video games and sit there for hours playing them? I'm trying to block it out because I'm nervous and scared I'll let everyone down. It's not the right way to deal with my problems but sometimes you need a distraction."

"That's true." Rachel nodded her head with a small grin. "But you're going to be fine, Finn. You've done an amazing job with the team and everything's going to work out. And through good or bad, I'll be there to hold your hand. All right?"

"All right." Finn nodded his head, a smirk appearing on his face. "And I hope you know you just gave yourself advice." Rachel thought about what she said to Finn, noticing that he was forcing her to give herself some encouraging words. "Look, I know this is new and it's a little scary for you…but I _know_ that you can do this Rachel. Like you said just now…good or bad, I'll be there to hold your hand." Rachel grinned at Finn, leaning in and pressing a kiss on his lips. Finn smiled into the kiss, nuzzling her nose as he began to part his lips from hers. "Now…since I'm probably not going to sleep tonight, I'm going to the kitchen to make some coffee. Do you want me to make you some tea for when you're done?"

"I would love that." Rachel nodded her head. "Oh, Finn?" Rachel called as Finn started to make his way to the exit of the bathroom. Finn turned around, stuffing his hands in his pajama pants pockets. "I love you so much."

"I love you more, Rachel." Finn said back with a grin as he left the bathroom.

"I don't think that's possible." Rachel playfully called out to him, closing the curtain so she could take her shower.

* * *

Finn sat at the kitchen table, drinking a cup of coffee while reading the newspaper as Rachel entered the room wearing a regular black dress, her hair and bangs straightened and black pumps. Finn looked up at her, staring as if he was in a daze, Rachel pulling at the hem of her skirt and biting her lower lip.

"So?" Rachel looked to Finn, letting out a sigh. "How do I look?" Finn got up from the table, making his way to Rachel as he put both his hands on her arms, giving her arms a loving squeeze.

"You look like a million bucks." Finn earnestly said as a smile flashed on his face. Rachel looked up at him and pressed a kiss to his lips. Finn broke the kiss, noticing Rachel was releasing a sigh. "Something wrong?"

"What if I tank my audition?" Rachel said abruptly. "What if the whole NYADA audition fiasco happens all over again? What if I forget the words or…or if I'm off key?"

"Rachel, you are not going to forget." Finn firmly yet softly said. "You're going to be amazing and you're going to knock then dead. Then you're going to get the role and you're going to be on Broadway and I'm going to be sitting up front watching you and we're going to live happily ever after! The end!" Rachel giggled at Finn's quick storytelling, embracing him into a hug.

"Thank you for everything, Finn." Rachel softly muttered, breathing in his scent. "You really are the only one that fully believes in me."

"I'll always believe in you, Rachel." Finn said, rubbing her back in small circles. "But you have to believe in yourself. It's the only way that you're going to get far; believing in your talent and your strength." Rachel nodded her head to Finn, looking over to the table spotting that Finn had a cup of tea waiting for her.

"And you made me tea…" Rachel grinned as she faced back to him. "You really are the greatest in the entire world."

"I know I am." Finn put the cup of coffee to his lips, drinking the caffeinated drink as Rachel's eyebrows arched.

"Wait a minute…don't you _hate_ coffee?" Rachel sounded perplexed.

"I do hate coffee, but it's the only way I'm going to focus today." Finn sighed looking down at his cup. "This coffee tastes extremely bitter." Rachel thought of an idea as she went over to the cabinet, taking out one her packets of hazelnut coffee and quickly making a cup for Finn. "Oh no, this isn't going to end up like the Starbucks experiment, is it?"

"No, silly." Rachel giggled, handing Finn the cup of hazelnut coffee. Finn had to admit that it did smell pretty good, noticing that he was taking another whiff of it. After a minute of reluctance, Finn took the cup from Rachel slowly, smelling the coffee and eyeing her. "Aren't you going to drink it?" Rachel questioned.

"Wait, this has to be done just right." Finn put his hand up as he continued to look at the coffee. "All right…here it goes." Finn took a sip from the coffee, raising his eyebrows quizzically as he continued slurping. After a few moments, Finn removed his lips from the cup, staring at it and a small smile appearing on his face.

"Well?" Rachel couldn't help but smile at Finn.

"Hazelnut coffee, huh?" Finn muttered, looking at Rachel. "This stuff's not bad. What brand is this?"

"_Nestle_." Rachel smirked as she made her way over to Finn. "So does coffee taste good?"

"Coffee tastes all right. I still hate every other brand though." Finn shrugged. Rachel giggled, pressing her lips to Finn's as he held her tightly.

"I love you, Finn." Rachel mumbled after she parted her lips from his.

"I love you too, Rachel." Finn affectionately said back.

* * *

Finn, Santana and Kurt walked along the NYADA hallway later that morning, but as Finn tried to focus on his Glee Club and the fact Sectionals were next week, his mind continued to wander over to Rachel. How was Rachel's audition so far? Did she perform for Mr. Campion? Did she wow the other producers? Did she get the part? So many questions were going through Finn's head that he almost didn't notice Kurt snapping his fingers in front of him.

"Hudson, this is your captain speaking." Kurt chided as Santana let out a small giggle. "We need to know if you're listening." Finn stared at Kurt as he stuffed his hands in his pockets, letting out a small sigh.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about other things." Finn admitted.

"You were thinking about other things?" Santana teased, walking circles around Finn. "What could possibly go on in that brain of yours, Hudson?"

"I was thinking about Rachel's audition." Finn said. "I just want to know if it went okay."

"I'm sure it's going fine." Kurt assured his brother. "If you want you can text her about it. I'm sure that there's nothing that she'd love more than her fiancé showing concern and support."

"You know what." Finn snapped his fingers and pointed at Kurt with a small smile. "You're right Kurt. I'm going to text her and ask her how her audition is. She's sure to be amazing."

"Aww, now there's the supportive Finn Hudson that we all know and love." Santana patted Finn's shoulder supportively. Kurt, Santana and Finn heard someone running towards them, noticing that it was Vicky and Dustin. Something had to have went wrong; Finn just knew it.

"What's going on?" Finn asked, looking at Dustin and Vicky.

"You have to come to the auditorium." Dustin said, motioning for Finn, Santana and Kurt to follow them. Santana, Kurt and Finn rushed over to the auditorium, noticing that the place—was in shambles. There were papers all over the place, the backdrops were torn and the sheet music was ripped in half. Finn didn't understand. Who would do something like this?

"What happened in here?" Finn turned to Dustin and Vicky in shock. "Who would do something like this?"

"If we told you, you probably wouldn't believe us." Vicky said.

"Try me." Finn's voice turned serious as he faced his two teammates.

"It was Cassandra July." Dustin answered, looking at his mentor. "Vicky and I were running our lines for Sectionals and all of a sudden, Cassandra comes storming in here, rips the backdrops, tears apart the sheet music and then tosses all the bits on the floor like it was confetti. You should have seen the mess in here."

"Cassandra July is ruthless and there's nothing stopping her." Vicky spoke with a tremor of fear. "She really doesn't want our NYADA Glee Club to win Sectionals. We didn't even get a chance to finish learning the song and we can't change the song because Sectionals are next week."

"I'll think of something, don't worry." Finn assured them. "In the meantime we should probably clean up. It won't look any good if Madame Tibideaux saw her auditorium a wreck thinking that we did it."

"All right." Dustin and Vicky went over to pick up some of the papers. Finn grabbed a sheet of paper on the floor and gazed at it for a few moments, feeling the anger course through his body. Kurt and Santana were almost afraid to ask Finn if all was well. Finn took the sheet of paper and crumpled it up, throwing it to the wall as he let out an aggravated yell. There was nothing Finn could do to stop Cassandra July. She was someone who threatened his very existence in the Glee Club.

"Finn, we know that you're frustrated." Kurt whispered while Santana nodded her head. "But you can't let Cassandra get to you. She's doing this to see how little it takes to make you crack. It's like what Sue Sylvester would do to Mr. Schue. She knew that she could get under Mr. Schue's skin and did whatever it took to break his armor. You're strong and you're going to figure this out."

"Kurt, you don't understand." Finn turned around, feeling flustered. "I had the song choices picked out and now there's no way that the team can learn who sings what since the papers are ripped and torn to pieces. Also I don't have the sheet music with me on my flash drive so there's no way in hell I can prepare myself for a lesson today! I'm a failure, Kurt! I'm going to let everyone down and it's going to be all my fault."

"Do you need me to slap you again, Finn?" Santana spoke up; noticing Finn shook his head quickly. "Frankenteen, you've been through a lot in your short years of life but you need to hold it together, man. There's no way that the Glee Club is going to be prepared if you don't hold it together. Are you mad about the whole Cassandra thing? Sure. But you need to keep it together man. If you don't keep it together, Cassandra is going to think she has won. Do you want Cassandra to think she beat you Finn?"

"No." Finn quickly answered, Santana wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

"Then you better pull your _Frankenweenie_ boxers in a bunch because these kids need a strong leader…and that's you, Frankenteen." Santana sighed. Finn thought about Santana's words, nodding his heads as if the words she said were inspiring. Finn's face twisted into misperception, gazing at Santana as if she had known too much.

"Wait, how did you know that my boxers were _Frankenweenie_?" Finn asked. "Not even Rachel knows I own a pair."

"I found them when I was snooping through your drawers." Santana nonchalantly stated. "By the way…you might want to hide your condoms in a safer place…where no one like Rachel's fathers could find them." Santana patted Finn's back, making her way over to Dustin and Vicky in order to pick up the sheets of paper that were on the floor. Finn simply stood there, traversing his arms as he looked like he was in thought. Maybe there was a way to get through Cassandra July—and maybe there was a way that he could win both Sectionals and Cassandra's little game.

* * *

Cassandra July made her way to the dance studio in order to get some stretching in. She never told anyone in the school, but when her dreams of being a Broadway actress were shot, she was absolutely heartbroken. That was probably the reason that Cassandra hated all her students—except for the ones that make it into the business of course. Then she would pretend to be happy, wait for them to leave and then pour some alcohol into a drink in order to drown her sorrows. She was knocked out of her thoughts when Brody walked over to her, wondering if he could speak to Cassandra for a moment.

"Cassie, was that you that tore up the auditorium?" Brody asked, staring at her.

"What if I did, what if I didn't?" Cassandra wasn't even hiding the fact that she was the one who had ruined Finn's place of sanctuary.

"You can't…you can't just do that." Brody slightly argued. "Cassandra that's where the Glee Club works. They need a place to work, why did you destroy that?"

"I'm sorry; I was too busy listening to how much you actually care about the Glee Club." Cassandra shook her head. "That's not a part of the plan Brody. The plan is you go in there and cause hate between that freakish giant and Schwimmer. The plan was not for you to hold hands with everyone and sing around the campfire like this is _Barney_."

"Cassandra, what did Finn actually do to you?" Brody questioned. "I mean, you must hate him for a reason. What's that reason?"

"He's a smartass, that's why." Cassandra answered. "He thinks he's so smart and that he can actually lead those kids to a Sectionals championship. The showcase is full of talented people. They will eat him up alive."

"What if I said he was doing a great job with the club?" Brody sighed. "Everyone wants to be there. I'm going on a hunch here, but I think Simone likes the Glee Club too. Why are you trying to tear it down? I read this in the handbook. If the Glee Club loses sectionals, the school has the right to cut funding from the program, meaning it will cease to exist."

"All the money will go to the dance program." Cassandra answered with a smirk. "Finn loses his confidence—possibly his mind, I get all the funding from the defunct club. This makes perfect sense. Brody, when you signed on with me to be a student teacher that meant you had to do all the dirty work I asked you. We're going to tear Finn's confidence to the ground and make sure that Schwimmer sees him for the sad, pathetic sap he is."

"I know but…" Brody began to protest.

"Are you getting soft, Brody?" Cassandra glared at him. "Is the Glee Club making you soft like the Pillsbury Dough Boy? Let me tell you something, it ain't tasty. Now, I'm going to go to my dance studio and forget that we ever had this conversation. You're upsetting me Brody, and I don't like it." Cassandra walked over to the dance studio and opened the door but her eyes widened as she looked around the room in shock. The leotards were thrown all over the floor, the dance shoes were hanging from the ceiling and Cassandra was sure that the bars had wax on them to make whoever held them fall to the ground. "Who did this to my dance studio?!" Cassandra looked to the side, spotting a note on top of one of the thrown away leotards. Cassandra picked up the note, her anger boiling as she read each word:

_Enjoy your renovated dance studio!_

_- Finn_

"That little son of a bitch!" Cassandra crumpled the note in her hand, turning to Brody. "I am going to report him to Madame Tibideaux!"

"There's a problem with that." Brody pointed out. "If you tell Madame Tibideaux that Finn destroyed your dance studio, then Finn can tell her that _you _destroyed the auditorium."

"And what proof would he have?" Cassandra growled.

"There are cameras everywhere." Brody answered.

"Well then…" Cassandra stared down at the note in her hand, a plot forming through her mind. "If that's the way Finn Hudson wants to play, then we can play his little game…"

"Technically it's your game." Brody pointed to Cassandra. "You were the one that started the game after all."

"Brody?" Cassandra faced Brody, staring at him with a scowl on her face. "Just…go." Brody quickly made his way out of the dance studio to leave Cassandra alone for a minute. Cassandra was forming a plot in her mind, a devious smile appearing on her face. "Finn Hudson…you just declared war."

* * *

"No." Finn walked down the auditorium ramp with Kurt in tow while Kurt was reading ideas off a list.

"But come on. _Gentleman_ by Psy is one of the most iconic Korean Pop songs. I'm sure that the NYADA board would love diversity." Kurt argued with his brother.

"Or they could call me a racist for having the Glee Club sing a song that they can't even pronounce the lyrics to and I'm kicked out of school." Finn turned back to Kurt, shaking his head. "The answer is no. Anything else?"

"All right, how about _What Does the Fox Say_?" Kurt shrugged his shoulders.

"Fun performance but not for Sectionals." Finn sighed. "It's not appropriate for a serious competition."

"What's gotten into you?" Kurt looked over to Finn. Finn turned around, not understanding what made Kurt so upset. "What is wrong with you? I thought that Glee Club was supposed to be about fun. I get that this is a serious thing too, but Finn…Glee Club is supposed to be fun. I don't want everyone to have fun and then you're miserable because you're not enjoying yourself."

"I am enjoying myself." Finn argued.

"No, you look angry…and sad…and twenty other emotions I can't seem to describe right now." Kurt said. "Finn, you're stressed…and I get the feeling that it's not just about Sectionals."

"What are you talking about Kurt?" Finn shook his head.

"You're worried about Rachel's audition." Kurt patted Finn's shoulder. "Rachel is going to do fine. She always does fine. She's going to be great."

"But what if she doesn't get the role?" Finn sighed. "What if they tell her that they don't think she's right for the performance and then she's sad the rest of her life? I don't want her to be depressed. I want her to succeed."

"And she will succeed, whether she gets the role or not." Kurt assured Finn. "She has you, me and Santana to lean on when the going gets rough. She's going to be just fine, Finn. I guarantee it."

"Well, I hope that you're right Kurt." Finn sighed. "Rachel's been through a lot the last four years. I just want her to be happy."

"And apparently you're not there when you spend time with her." Kurt chuckled. "Rachel is happy…when she's with _you_. Whether she gets the role or not, she's happy being there with you…" Kurt's thoughts trailed off as he stared at the stage, a look of horror appearing on his face. Kurt rushed past Finn up to the stage where he noticed the Sectionals costumes were thrown on the floor—and had paint splattered all over them. "Oh my god! These costumes took weeks to make! That paint splatter will never come off! Oh my god! I think I'm going to faint!" Finn ran up to the stage to console his brother, but as he made his way to Kurt, he noticed there was a sheet of paper on the floor. Finn reached down to pick it up, his teeth clenching at the note:

_Hope you enjoy your costume makeover. This…means…WAR!_

_- Cassandra July_

"Who would do such a thing like this!" Kurt exclaimed in anger. Finn handed Kurt the note, Kurt skimming through it as he shared the same angered expression as his brother. "That's it. Cassandra July is dead!"

"We have to think of something extremely big!" Finn proclaimed. "Cassandra thinks that she's going to get to me. Well, we're just going to have to one up her."

"And how do we one up her?" Kurt sighed. "We already trashed her dance studio."

"By taking it to the next level…" Finn smirked as he held the note. "We trash the one thing that means the world to her."

* * *

Santana, Finn and Kurt walked along the NYADA parking lot holding spray paint cans, Finn looking down at a piece of paper that he had in his hand. As they walked along the parking lot, Kurt began to feel a little nervous.

"I don't know Finn…I don't think we should even be here." Kurt stated.

"Relax, Kurt." Finn smirked. "I got Cassandra July's car parking spot from Madame Tibideaux."

"Why would Madame Tibideaux give you Cassandra July's car parking spot?" Santana inquired.

"I don't know." Finn shrugged his shoulders, holding one of the spray paint cans towards her. "She also gave me this can of spray paint."

"No one likes Cassandra July…do they?" Santana questioned. Santana looked at the sheet of paper in Finn's hand, staring at the car in front of them. "So what do we do now that we've found the car?"

"We spray paint it, that's what we do." Finn took the cap off the spray paint, walking over to the car. "What should I write on it? Maybe I should write 'I was here'."

"That's lame Finnocence." Santana smirked. "I mean really lame." Finn realized Santana was right, thinking it over for a bit. Finally Finn tagged the window of the car with spray paint, blowing on the nozzle when he finished writing.

"Let's get out of here before Cassandra freaks." Finn, Kurt and Santana ran off the NYADA parking lot—at the same time that Cassandra was walking to her car. Cassandra looked at the front, letting out a growl as she clenched her fists.

_Hope you enjoy your car makeover! _

_- LOVE, Finn_

Cassandra looked out to the school, thinking that she had to one up Finn. But how was she going to get someone that was a little too smart for her. Then she thought of the perfect way—the way to get to Finn's heart and to make him _miserable._

* * *

Rachel sat in the waiting room for her audition, staring down at the sheet music she had in her hand. She was going to wow the judges, she was going to make the cast of _Funny Girl_ and she was going to make everyone back home in Lima proud. Rachel got up from her seat and adjusted her skirt, feeling slightly nervous about her performance. Rachel looked to see the door open to the auditorium, the secretary giving Rachel a warm and friendly smile.

"Rachel, the directors are going to go for lunch but you'll be the first one to perform when they get back." The secretary said. Rachel nodded her head, giving the secretary a warm smile. There had been a lot of people for the _Funny Girl _callbacks today. Rachel was actually relieved that she was able to get something to eat. That meant she could call Finn and ask how his day of school was. Rachel got up from the chair, making her way to the entrance of the building to see if she could have better cell reception. When Rachel reached the outside of the building, she looked up and spotted Simone. Rachel looked at Simone with interest, wondering what she was doing here.

"Simone? Hi." Rachel let out a small smile. Simone had something behind her back but Rachel couldn't see it. _It can't be bad, right_?

"Oh Rachel, I'm glad that I bumped into you." Simone said in a bubbly voice. "There was something that I wanted to give you to wish you a little bit of luck on your callback."

"Oh really?" Rachel gave a warm grin to Simone. "That's so thoughtful. What is it?" Rachel slowly noticed Simone's happy expression turn into a devious one, taking what she had behind her back out into the open for her and Simone to see.

_WHAM!_

Rachel closed her eyes and started shivering, realizing that she had just been hit with a slushie. Rachel continued feeling cold bouts as Simone took another slushie out and put it over Rachel's head. Rachel looked up at Simone with a heartbreaking expression. She thought that Simone was nice now. She thought that Simone was her friend! Why did Simone slushie her and ruin her clothes, hair and makeup?

"Did you enjoy your slushie bath?" Simone snickered. "Now I'll be guaranteed the role of Fanny Brice since you look like a hot mess. Everyone has to have something stopping their career…I'm just helping you a little bit earlier. And now that you're a hot mess there's no way that you can even go and perform in front of Mr. Campion. He'll think you weren't ready…and once he hears my vocals, Fanny Brice will be all mine. Tata, Rachel Berry." Simone cackled as she walked past Rachel, Rachel looking down to the ground as she emitted crocodile tears. Simone had wrecked her shot of getting Fanny…she might as well just give up. Rachel walked back into the building and headed to the bathroom, closing one of the stall doors and sitting on the toilet as she took out her phone and texted Kurt a few sentences, still sitting and crying her heart out.

* * *

Kurt, Santana and Finn were laughing from the rush of tagging Cassandra July's car, high-fiving one another as they went into the auditorium. Kurt felt his phone buzz, taking it out to find a text from Rachel. Kurt opened it, his laughter deceasing while Santana and Finn continued to chortle on.

"Guys." Kurt said, looking at Finn and Santana.

"I want to see how her face looks when she sees the glorious masterpiece we gave her car." Santana told Finn, the both of them still laughing.

"She's probably _fuming_ right now!" Finn agreed, unaware that Kurt was trying to get their attention. Santana, Kurt and Finn heard the auditorium door open, seeing the NYADA Glee Club members enter as they held their phones. Brody walked over to Finn, looking genuinely worried, stopping Finn's laughter as he looked at the junior. "What…what's wrong?" Finn wanted to know. Brody looked down at his text, gripping the phone tightly.

"Something happened to Rachel." Brody said. Finn's smile diminished and he wasn't laughing anymore. Now he was worried.

* * *

The NYADA Glee Club group entered the building where Rachel was due to have her audition, noticing that the receptionist there was typing away at her computer. Finn quickly made his way over to the receptionist, staring at her with pleading eyes.

"Hi there…" Finn waved. The receptionist looked up, giving Finn a polite smile. "I'm here to see one of the young ladies auditioning for the role of Fanny Brice. Um, Rachel Berry?"

"Oh, Rachel? Yeah, I saw her go into the bathroom. She was covered in some sticky juice, her hair, clothes and makeup were a complete disaster." The receptionist pointed towards the ladies room. "I don't let anyone just go in there but since you seem to care a lot about her, go ahead." Finn nodded his head giving the receptionist a thankful smile. They made their way to the bathroom, Kurt knocking on the door with a sigh.

"Rachel? We know you're in there." Kurt said. "And we know that you're crying. I can hear you from out here." The door to the bathroom slightly opened with Finn pushing it and seeing Rachel in her state. He couldn't believe this. Who would slushie her in New York City, just moments before her audition? Finn entered the bathroom as Rachel shook her head, still sobbing as she looked away from Finn.

"Rachel." Finn wrapped his arms around her, not caring if he got slushie juice all over him. Instead of accepting Finn's embrace, Rachel pushed him away, looking out the window, as she didn't say a word. "Rachel, what happened? Who did this to you?" Santana and Kurt looked at Brody, Brody letting out a sigh.

"It was Simone, wasn't it?" Brody said, making his way to Finn and Rachel. "She was the one that was doing this to you."

"Wait, Simone? I thought she changed." Finn sounded slightly shocked and heartbroken. "She did change, right?"

"No, she didn't." Santana said feeling the anger in her body. "She didn't change. She only pretended to be Rachel's friend in order to get close to Rachel."

"This is all my fault." Brody felt a pang of guilt go through him as he stared at Finn. "Cassandra was the one that put Simone up to it. I should have stopped it before it got too serious."

"What is Cassandra planning exactly?" Finn was tired of things being hidden from him. It was now time for him to know the truth.

"Cassandra wants to kick you out of school and Simone wants you." Brody explained. "I should have said something and I shouldn't have so naïve. I know that Rachel is never going to love me because she loves you and I should have just accepted it. I didn't know that things were going to go this far. I didn't know that Simone was going to try to ruin Rachel's chances at being Fanny. And Finn…I haven't been entirely honest in our friendship. To be honest I only called a truce at first just so I could keep you close but…the more I got to know you, the more I realized you are a _really_ cool dude. I mean…the work you put in the Glee Club…you actually made me _like _Glee. You made me love it and these guys here love it too. I'm done with Cassandra, I'm done with Simone and I _really _hope that you can forgive me for deceiving you. What I did wasn't right and I can _swear_ that if I can stay in the club that I won't be in contact with Cassandra about plotting the Glee Clubs' demise." Finn continued to look at Brody, nodding his head slowly.

"It's not like you slushied me or anything." Finn shrugged his shoulders. "I don't have a problem with you. I do have a problem with Simone because she hurt Rachel."

"Rachel, you have to get out there." Brody focused his attention to Rachel. Rachel simply shook her head, wiping her tears in anger.

"HOW am I supposed to go out there looking like THIS?!" Rachel exclaimed, turning around and pointed to herself for emphasis. "I look terrible! Mr. Campion is going to think that I'm some slob that doesn't care about the role and that I wasted his time! This was a dumb idea! Befriending Simone was a dumb idea! I'm going home!" Rachel walked past Finn and Brody but Finn shook his head.

"RACHEL." Finn's voice came out harder than intended, startling Rachel and causing her to turn back around. "You can't go home. Being Fanny Brice is all you ever dreamed about. Are you really going to let some self-centered bitch take your spotlight, especially after you worked so hard just to get this callback?" Rachel sniffled, crying again as Finn walked over to her slowly. "Rach, you have two options. You can either go home and miss your chance at getting the role…or you can let us help you by letting us fix you up a bit."

"Yeah, I got you a dress from your closet that you can wear…with Kurt's help of course." Santana emphasized by holding up the bag.

"And I also brought your makeup kit and hair straightener so we can fix your hair." Kurt smiled.

"I could also lend you my shoes." Celina added. "I think you should be able to squeeze in them and I always bring flats in case my feet start hurting." Rachel felt truly touched that everyone wanted to help her, she felt like she was going to cry again.

"You're always helping us, Rachel." Melissa said. "Now it's our turn for us to help you…"

_{Finn takes a hold of Rachel's hand and looks at her as he smiles at her and the others stare at him}_

_[Finn]  
Hey Jude, don't make it bad  
Take a sad song and make it better  
Remember to let her into your heart  
Then you can start to make it better_

_{Santana grabs Rachel's hand and leads her to one of the bathroom stalls so they can put on the new dress that they brought for her from home}_

_[Finn and Santana]  
Hey Jude, don't be afraid  
You were made to go out and get her  
The minute you let her under your skin  
Then you begin to make it better_

_{Celina hands Brody the heels and Brody walks over to the stall, sliding the shoes underneath as he gives a smile to Finn}_

_[Brody]  
And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain  
Don't carry the world upon your shoulder  
For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool  
By making his world a little colder_

_[Brody and Finn with Finn Harmonic]  
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na_

_{Rachel and Santana come out of the stall and Melissa, Celina and Vicky lead Rachel over to the sink so that they can do Rachel's hair. Celina and Melissa smile at one another and they do Rachel's hair and straighten her bangs as Finn smiles at her}_

_[Finn]  
Hey Jude, don't let me down  
You have found her now go and get her (Celina and Vicky: Let it out and let it in)_

[Finn, Vicky and Celina]  
Remember to let her into your heart  
Then you can start to make it better

_[Dustin and Melissa]  
So let it out and let it in, hey Jude, begin  
You're waiting for someone to perform with  
And don't you know that it's just you, hey Jude, you'll do  
the movement you need is on your shoulder_

_[Dustin and Melissa with Finn Harmonic]  
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na_

_{Kurt comes closer to Rachel and he does her makeup as Rachel emits a smile. Santana rubs Rachel's shoulders and Finn grabs one of Rachel's hands as Kurt puts on the makeup}_

_[Finn, Brody, Kurt and Santana with Finn Harmonic]  
Hey Jude, don't make it bad  
Take a sad song and make it better  
Remember to let her under your skin  
then you'll begin to make it better, better, better, better, better, better (Brody: OW!)_

_{They all look at the finishing touches on Rachel and Rachel looks in the mirror, nodding her head in satisfaction. Rachel leads Finn Harmonic out of the bathroom as Santana and Kurt hold Rachel's hands on each side for support, Rachel releasing a confident grin as they make the lobby. They reach the lobby and Rachel turns to hug Santana tightly. She parts from Santana and goes to hug Kurt tightly. She looks over at Finn and Kurt lets go of the hug, Rachel embracing Finn in a tight hug, Finn putting a kiss in her hair. Rachel backs away and enters the auditorium as Finn Harmonic stand there and sings to her.}_

_[Finn, Santana and Kurt with Finn Harmonic] (Brody)  
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, Hey Jude  
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, Hey Jude (You can make it, you can make it better!)  
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, Hey Jude  
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, Hey Jude  
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, Hey Jude (Brody: Do, do, do, do, do, do, do)  
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, Hey Jude  
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, Hey Jude  
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, _

_[Finn Harmonic]  
Hey Jude! (Brody: Oh whoa, whoa!)_

"There she goes…" Finn softly said after watching Rachel go into the auditorium. Santana and Kurt noticed the auditorium door was slightly open and the receptionist was too busy to even notice him.

"Finn, go." Santana pushed Finn. Finn gave Santana a crazed look, but they weren't going to have any of that. "Go in there and sit in the back where no one can see you. She still might be a little freaked out about what happened between her and Simone. She needs you right now." Finn did as he was told after a few moments, entering the auditorium and sitting in the very back row. Rachel got on the stage, not noticing that Finn was there—instead her eyes were on Rupert Campion.

"Hi, my name is Rachel Berry and I'm going to be singing _Funny Girl_ from the hit Broadway classic, _Funny Girl_." Rachel grinned. Rupert nodded his head, folding his hands on the table to give Rachel his undivided attention. Rachel looked out at the back of the audience, noticing that Finn had snuck in the auditorium to see her. Rachel smiled so brightly that you'd need sunglasses to shield your eyes from the illumination. Rachel felt the confidence return to Rachel Berry measures and that was when she put everything: her heart, soul and mind into that performance.

_[Rachel]  
Funny  
Did you hear that?  
Funny  
Yeah the guy said  
"Honey,  
You're a funny girl"_

_That's me I just keep them in stiches  
Double in half  
And though I may be all wrong for the guy  
I'm good for a laugh_

_I guess it's not funny  
Life is far from sunny  
When the laugh is over  
And the joke's on you_

_A girl ought to have a sense of humor  
That's one thing you really need for sure  
When you're a funny girl  
The fellow said, "a funny girl"_

_Funny how it ain't so funny  
Funny girl_

Rupert couldn't help it…he smiled _widely_ at Rachel. Rachel didn't get too ahead of herself, maybe he was thinking that she was one talent that was out there, but surely there was more to be discovered. Maybe he would force another callback between Rachel and Simone. That was the last thing Rachel needed—seeing Simone after Simone humiliated her.

"Thank you so much, Rachel." Rupert said. "We'll keep in touch." Rachel nodded her head, making her way out of the auditorium. Rupert turned around and saw Finn who was sitting there, looking as if he was marveled by what he saw. "I had feeling she got a burst of confidence from somewhere. She's _very_ talented."

"So how did she do?" Finn asked, looking nervous. Rupert got up from his chair, winking at Finn and heading towards the exit of the auditorium.

"Mum's the word, Mr. Hudson." Rupert cheekily said leaving the premisis as Finn sat there with a wide grin. If that had meant what Rupert meant…Rachel possibly had just gotten the role. Finn got up from the chair, making his way out the door, hoping that Rachel would be there. Instead, she was gone…thinking that Finn had went back to school. _School._ And Finn's problems suddenly started rushing back to him.

* * *

Finn got back to the school that afternoon dreading heading to the auditorium, wondering what surprise Cassandra July had for him there. Finn opened the door to the auditorium, expecting to see a mess. Instead, he saw the auditorium as clean as whistle, the Sectionals outfits pressed and cleaned—and Rachel sitting there, skimming through song pieces. Finn had to admit that he was surprised. He was surprised that Rachel came straight here. Rachel looked up to see Finn entering, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He made his way to the front of the auditorium, sitting on the stage as he observed Rachel gazing at him.

"How did you do all this?" Finn wondered. "I mean, Cassandra destroyed the auditorium earlier. There was no way that I could have fixed it myself…if you know what I mean.

"I know you couldn't have." Rachel chuckled slightly. "Kurt and Santana told me about Simone and Cassandra…how they wanted to get you expelled from NYADA. They also told me that you wrote on a car out of anger…Cassandra's car?"

"It wasn't anger, it was revenge." Finn playfully corrected her.

"All right, revenge." Rachel chuckled, still looking at the sheet music. "If you're asking how, Tina, Blaine and Brittany helped with getting new costumes, I cleaned the auditorium and I think I found something for Sectionals next week." Rachel handed Finn the paper, noticing he was skimming through it. "Is it good?"

"This…this is _very good_." Finn smiled at her, leaning closer to her as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I really appreciate you helping me with Sectionals, you truly are the greatest."

"And I have to thank you about my callback today. If it weren't for you being tough, I would have left." Rachel grinned. "_You_ truly are the greatest."

"It would have killed me that you didn't follow your dreams, Rachel." Finn admitted. "I'm always going to be there to protect you from mean people, you know that right?" Rachel gave a puppy dog pout causing Finn to let out a laugh.

"I love you, Finn." Rachel smiled.

"I love you too, Rachel." Finn mumbled, pressing his lips to Rachel's. Rachel and Finn stayed in their kiss, hearing the door open, causing Finn to remove his lips and stare at the person coming in. Of course, it was Simone. Finn got up from the auditorium stage, walking over to Simone and motioned for her to leave with him following. Simone shrugged her shoulders, heading out the auditorium and facing Finn with a smirk. Finn wasn't amused—as a matter of fact, he was furious. "I don't know what stunt you pulled today at the _Funny Girl_ callbacks, but what you did was _completely_ unacceptable! What do you have to say for yourself?!" Finn realized he sounded a lot like Mr. Schuester when he was yelling at people and if he weren't mad then he would have thought that it was cool.

"Rachel deserved it." Simone simply said. Finn's frustration was turning into rage at this point.

"NO ONE deserves a slushie to the face! ESPECIALLY right before a callback!" Finn bellowed. "I don't know what rivalry thing you have with Rachel that you're forced to hate her, but the hate stops here! I don't like the way you've been treating her and I don't like the way you've been treating everyone else in the club! This club is not just about you! It's about everyone else!"

"Well maybe it's time for a change." Simone glared at Finn. Finn had just enough of Simone. He released a sigh, nodding his head in anger.

"You're right; it is time for a change." Finn scowled at her. "You're out of the Glee Club." Simone wasn't expecting Finn to say those words. She looked in shock towards Finn, scoffing as if it was a joke.

"You're bluffing." Simone couldn't believe it.

"I'm not bluffing." Finn really was serious. She really was off the club. "I don't care if it's a week from Sectionals. You're no longer welcome in the Glee Club until you can change your attitude! In there we are treated like a family…but you wouldn't know what family looked like unless it slapped you in the face. We may not have enough members now but the show must go…all over the place…or…something." Finn couldn't remember if he said it right. He turned serious again, crossing his arms to Simone. "You're off the team Simone, and that's final." Simone walked away from Finn in a huff, stomping her feet and making her way down the hallway. She turned back around, glaring at her former captain.

"You're going to be sorry that you ever crossed paths with Simone Barberrie, Finn Hudson!" Simone yelled. As Simone turned around…

_BAM!_

Simone was hit with an ice-cold slushie…and the one delivering the slushie was none other than Kurt and Santana. Simone saw the purple juice going on her dress, letting out a growl as she continued to stomp down the hallway, kids taking out their camera phones in order to watch Simone Barberrie's outburst.

"I always wanted to throw a slushie at someone!" Kurt sounded almost giddy, noticing that Simone was still screaming down the hallway.

"Taste the rainbow, you cold hearted bitch!" Santana yelled out to Simone with a satisfied smirk. She and Kurt made their way to Finn, Finn holding out his hand to high five both of them. Finn wasn't sure what he was going to do with Sectionals so close and down one member—but right now that didn't matter because at least tonight he had his friends and teammates there with him. Knowing that they had each other's backs felt good but knowing that they all had a legitimate chance at a Sectionals trophy made Finn feel _great_.

_{Scene changes back to the auditorium with Finn Harmonic standing on the stage with a smile. Vicky and Celina stand front and center, looking out at the empty auditorium with a smile}_

_[Vicky]  
May your hearts be full  
Like our drinks tonight  
May we sing and dance  
Till we lose our minds_

_[Celina]  
We are only young  
if we seize the night  
Tonight we own the night  
Tonight we own the night_

_{The other Finn Harmonic members come down on the stage with Celina and Vicky with a grin}_

_[Kurt with Finn Harmonic]  
La, la, la, la, la, la, la la  
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la  
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la  
La, la, la, la, la, la_

_[Finn]  
When my time is over  
Lying in my grave  
Written on my tombstone  
I want it to say_

_[Dustin]  
This man was a legend  
A legend of his time  
When he was at a party  
The party never died_

_[Brody]  
Hey, everybody's got a dream  
So what do you say, are we making history_

_[Santana]  
May your hearts be full  
Like our drinks tonight  
May we sing and dance  
Till we lose our minds_

_[Rachel]  
We are only young  
if we seize the night  
Tonight we own the night  
Tonight we own the night_

_[Kurt with Finn Harmonic]  
La, la, la, la, la, la, la la  
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la  
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la  
La, la, la, la, la, la_

_[Vicky]  
For tonight I'm famous  
For tonight I'm king  
And I will be remembered  
For centuries, they'll say_

_[Melissa and Kurt]  
This man was a hero  
A hero of the night  
When he was at a party  
The party never died_

_[Brody and Finn]  
Hey, I'm a little drunk but I got something to say_

_[Dustin and Celina]  
May your hearts be full  
Like our drinks tonight  
May we sing and dance  
Till we lose our minds_

_[Brody and Santana]  
We are only young  
if we seize the night  
Tonight we own the night_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
And let us wake up  
Inside a strangers bed  
Let us drink until  
There is nothing left_

_[Santana and Kurt]  
And this night my friends  
We will not forget  
Tonight we owned the night  
Tonight we owned the night_

_[Brody and Melissa]  
May your hearts be full  
Like our drinks tonight  
May we sing and dance  
Till we lose our minds_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
We are only young  
if we seize the night  
Tonight we own the night  
Tonight we own the night_

_{Scene ends with everyone high-fiving one another and Finn looks with confidence towards the exit of the auditorium}_

* * *

_**GUEST STARRING**_

_**Ariana Grande as Simone Barberrie**_

_**Dean Geyer as Brody Weston**_

_**Kate Hudson as Cassandra July**_

_**Cassadee Pope as Celina Jones**_

_**Olseya Rulin as Melissa Stewart**_

_**Jesse McCartney as Dustin Shafer**_

_**Victoria Justice as Vicky Martinez**_

_**Peter Facinelli as Rupert Campion**_

_**SONG(S)**_

_**Hey Jude (Originally by The Beatles): Performed by Finn Harmonic**_

_**Funny Girl (Originally from the Broadway Musical 'Funny Girl'): Performed by Rachel Berry**_

_**We Own The Night (Originally by The Wanted): Performed by Finn Harmonic**__  
_


	22. 1x22: Sectionals

**_Episode Synopsis:_**_ Finn Harmonic competes during Sectionals with hopes to advance to the Regional Showcase. Finn, Rachel, Santana and Kurt gain a new roommate in the New York loft, but Rachel and Finn may soon find that their lives are about to change forever._

**_Disclaimer:_**Okay, I do not own Glee and I never will.

_**Note:** _Here we are! It's the Season 1 finale of "Glee: The New York Story"! Season 2 will premiere on November 15, so there will be a two-week hiatus just so I can get a chance to plan where the story goes from here. I decided to do a "commercial type thing" after the credits so you can get a sneak peek of what happens in Season 2 in the first season. So, here's a question for you guys: As the season winds down, what was your favorite part, episode, quote, anything of the season? I'm just curious to know. So now, without further ado...the Season 1 finale of"Glee: The New York Story".

* * *

_{Scene shows Kurt sitting in the waiting area of the airport, looking down at his watch as he lets out a sigh. He looks at the clock that says from 'Lima to New York City' and sees that it's landing. Kurt looks excited and continues to look at the clock}_

_**Kurt's Voice Over:**_

_72 hours. That's how long I've been going insane trying to plan the perfect welcome for Blaine. He's coming to New York in order to see Finn's Glee Club perform at Sectionals, and he's bringing some of the Glee Club members past and present with him. I don't know if so many people that Finn knows coming to see the show will be good for him. He was practically freaking out with only having nine performers, when we need 10 in order to compete. Finn's smart, I'm sure he could figure out where to get the tenth member for the club before Sectionals. _

_I can't wait to see Blaine…it's been too long since we've seen each other or had any physical contact. Last time I saw him in person was when I flew to Lima after finding out dad had cancer. I missed him…_

_{Blaine comes through the waiting room and Kurt smiles a wide smile}_

_If he leaves again, I'll miss him more than I missed him the last time. _

* * *

Blaine and Kurt sat in a Starbucks coffee shop near the Brooklyn loft after deciding that it would be best to catch up there. God knows what Finn and Rachel were doing in the loft with Santana out of the house. Kurt handed Blaine his cup of Starbucks, giving his boyfriend a warm smile.

"There is your Pumpkin Spice Latte, extra whipped cream and my Macchiato, extra foam." Kurt grinned at Blaine who couldn't help but smile back at him. "So how was everything in Lima since we left? We haven't been there since the whole Finn's father debacle."

"It's okay." Blaine shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, Mr. Schuester has us working extra hard for Regionals which is just after Christmas break. I supposed that we should be excited for Christmas break but we're not. There's so much work that we have to do. Me especially."

"What's wrong, Blaine?" Kurt wondered feeling concerned. "Did something happen in Lima that I don't know about?"

"No, nothing like that." Blaine didn't want Kurt to worry too much. "I'm worried about my future."

"Your future?" Kurt asked. "What about your future? You're doing fine in Glee Club."

"Yeah, but I'm a senior now." Blaine reminded his boyfriend. "I haven't heard back from any of the New York performing arts schools that I applied to. I thought I would have by now. I mean, it's going to be Thanksgiving soon. Don't people start hearing from colleges around this time?"

"Give it till January, Blaine." Kurt assured him. "I know that things look tough right now but in the end it's going to get better. I promise you."

"Right…" Blaine sighed, sipping his latte. "I'm just worried, Kurt. I mean we planned that after High School that we would both be in New York together; going to NYADA and working on making our dreams come true. Instead neither of us is in NYADA and the person that no one expected to make it into NYADA did."

"Finn." Kurt knew exactly who Blaine was talking about. "But let's think of it this way, Blaine. If Finn could get into NYADA then so can we. Finn's not entirely cultured when it comes to Broadway and he's turning out fine…you know, if Cassandra July could get off his back."

"Yeah, I also heard about the Simone girl that was after Rachel." Blaine said, looking at Kurt. "Santana told me."

"Santana has a mouth and a half." Kurt sipped his macchiato again, thinking about his friend.

"But everything is good, right?" Blaine asked. "I mean with the Glee Club?"

"Not entirely." Kurt sighed. "We need ten members to perform and we've only got nine since Finn kicked Simone out of the club. I'm not mad at him that he kicked Simone out, I'm actually proud of him for standing up to her and not taking any of her crap. The problem is where are we going to find someone in order to replace Simone for the competition…and before you volunteer, sorry…you have to be out of high school."

"Was that in the rulebook?" Blaine wondered.

"Yes, it was." To be honest, Kurt wasn't sure if it was in the rulebook. He just made it up as he went along. "Anyway, you're here to support Finn and his Glee Club. Not to try to take it over with your dashing baritone vocals."

"Well at least you think my vocals are dashing." Blaine and Kurt couldn't help but chuckle. Blaine was thankful for Kurt lightning the mood, but he just remembered his troubles again. "What's going to happen if I don't get into any performing arts school in New York? New York is such a dog eat dog town."

"I know that." Kurt said. "Look, if the whole performing arts thing doesn't work out then just come up with a backup plan."

"A backup plan?" Blaine raised an eyebrow at Kurt's logic.

"Yeah, I mean there's nothing wrong with thinking of a backup plan." Kurt tried to get Blaine on board with the idea. "You can be a dancer or you could join the off-off Broadway version of _Male Rockettes_. It's about guy dancers who try to get everyone to boycott the Christmas Spectacular show because they don't allow males to join the female dancers. I think they're trying to show equality can also deal with men."

"I don't think I'm poised to be a backup dancer for an off-off Broadway show." Blaine said. He continued to think, finally snapping his fingers as if he thought of the greatest plan of all time. "I could be a doctor!" Kurt looked at Blaine with misperception, not understanding where Blaine was coming from.

"A doctor?" Kurt let out a slight cough, trying to hide that the idea wasn't a very good one. "Do you mean like a regular doctor where you go into the rooms and take care of the patients or a singing doctor where when something goes wrong, you burst out into a song number?"

"A regular doctor." Blaine answered. "But the singing can come as a bonus. I mean think about it, I have time to apply to all of these schools that are for doctors, just in case I don't make it as a singer."

"Um, why don't we try NYADA before you go all drastic and decide to become a doctor?" Kurt suggested. "I mean just in case there's something else out there."

"All right, you made your point Mr. Hummel." Blaine smirked, taking a sip of his latte. "So how's Finn doing with the whole Sectionals thing?"

"He's fine. I think he's more nervous because Mr. Schue is coming to see it. He just wants to make Mr. Schue proud." Kurt said. "I know he's going to be fine, I know it."

"So speaking of Finn, what's he doing right now?" Blaine wondered. Kurt felt a blush creep on his face, looking at his macchiato in embarrassment.

"He's alone with Rachel doing the Risky Business, if you catch my drift." Kurt covered his face and spoke in a soft tone so no one would hear them. "Santana just had to go and take an extra shift at the diner today, didn't she?"

"Well, Finn does need some time to wind down." Blaine tried to see it from Finn's point of view. "The next couple of days are going to be hectic for him."

"Yeah, I just wish his winding down didn't annoy the neighbors." Kurt chided, getting up from his seat. "Come on, you haven't lived if you haven't gone to the bakery that's down the street from here. Their pastries are to _die_ for!" Blaine got up from his seat, linking his arms with Kurt as the couple made their way down the street to enjoy some Brooklyn pastries.

* * *

Rachel walked to the living room of the loft but stopped at the hallway mirror and took a good look at herself. Finn had been too busy to even think about making love to Rachel, so Rachel was going to bring the love to him. She purposely tossed her hair all over the place, giving it a sexy yet messy look. She was wearing one of Finn's blue plaid t-shirts which was longer than she thought; it looked more like a mini dress than a shirt on her, and of course she was wearing some jean shorts. Rachel spotted Finn on the couch, reading the sheet music and writing a few things down in a notepad. Rachel let out a sly smirk, tip-toeing behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck without a second thought. Finn looked down at the arms that were there, letting out a smirk of his own.

"Hi Rachel." Finn chuckled, still looking at the papers that were in front of him. "I see you like my clothes."

"I'd like them better if they actually fit me." Rachel playfully added, staring at Finn. "Man you have long arms." Finn chuckled, holding Rachel's arms to keep them around his neck. "Finn, come play with me." Rachel almost sounded like a five-year old.

"Trust me Rachel. There is nothing more I would love than to play with you, but I'm really busy right now." Finn apologetically said, turning his head to look her in the eyes. "I love you, you know that right?"

"I know you do." Rachel sighed. "Can I at least keep your shirt on? I love the way you smell."

"You love the way I smell?" Finn raised an eyebrow with an amused expression. "That's a new one. Of course you can keep my shirt, babe. It looks better on you anyway." Rachel leaned in and pressed a kiss on Finn's lips, Finn holding her tightly so he could deepen the kiss. Finn and Rachel heard a knock at the door, causing Finn to break the kiss and stare at Rachel. "I'll go see who it is. Maybe Kurt's back with Blaine already." Finn got up from the sofa, walking over to the door. Finn slid the door open, his eyes widening and a smile appearing on his face. "Puck!"

"Finn-mister!" Puck and Finn went in for a man-hug, but Puck's eyes fixated on Rachel. Puck raised an eyebrow at Rachel, noticing that she was looking embarrassed in what she was wearing right now. "Why hello there my hot Jewish American Princess." Puck cheekily said as Finn rolled his eyes. Rachel looked down at what she was wearing, her cheeks flushing a bright red.

"Hi Noah." Rachel gave a look to Finn, slowly walking back to her room in order to get some of her own clothes on. Puck and Finn looked at the room door closing before Puck turned to Finn.

"So you were getting wanky, Hudson?" Puck cracked a joke as Finn let him in.

"No, she just wanted to wear my clothing." To be honest, Finn was five minutes away from letting Rachel have her way with him before Puck knocked on the door and interrupted everything. "I think that shirt looks better on her than it does on me. But dude, not that I'm not glad to see you but what are you doing here? My Glee competition isn't for another couple of days."

"I know that. I actually came to get some advice." Puck sighed, taking a seat on the couch. Finn sat on the couch next to Puck, staring at his friend with interest.

"What's wrong, Puck?" Finn questioned becoming concerned. "Did something happen on your adventures of traveling the world and trying to find something to do?"

"All right, what I'm going to tell you, you can't tell anyone. If you do I will pulverize you." Puck threatened Finn.

"No you won't." Finn shook his head with a chuckle. "Now come on, you gotta tell me what's going on Puck. What has you like this?" Puck looked around letting out a sigh.

"I fell in love with someone, Finn." Puck sighed, folding his hands and looking down at the ground. Finn looked amused at Puck while Puck looked away in embarrassment.

"Dude, tell me who the girl is." Finn nudged Puck's arm, a smile appearing on his face. "Come on, it has to be someone that you really like—just anyone except for Rachel. Dude, if it's Rachel, I will kill you."

"It's not Rachel, Finn." Puck said. He took another deep breath, looking out the window. "It's Quinn_."_

"_Quinn_?!" Finn exclaimed loudly, but Puck immediately shushed him. Finn shook off the shock, looking at his best friend. "You're in love with Quinn?"

"I've always been in love with her to be honest." Puck said. "But while I was in Lima for my pool cleaning business, there was like this hot cougar that totally wanted to get it on. I was all for it until…I got a text from Quinn, and then something changed inside me. I mean you know me Finn. I never turn down sex for anything, but when Quinn texted me, I just…didn't want it. I left without my usual payment and I was okay with it."

"Wow. What did Quinn text you?" Finn asked. Puck took out his phone to show Finn the text message. Finn read it, looking up at Puck in confusion. "_Hey, how are you_?"

"See?! She's obviously thinking about me!" Puck exclaimed.

"Or she's just checking up on you." Finn handed the phone back to Puck.

"I don't know. I'm seeing a lot of signs here; I don't know what to think." Puck sighed.

"I have an idea. Why don't you come to my Glee practice tomorrow?" Finn suggested. "We're working on the set-list one last time and Santana tells me Quinn is going to be there. Maybe there you can work the courage to ask her out."

"You really think I can?" Puck wondered. "I mean, I don't know…"

"Puck, if you can throw Kurt in a dumpster then you can ask Quinn out." Finn smirked. "Look, I was scared when I thought Rachel didn't want me back. But she did and now look at us. So come on Puck…what do you say to taking chances?"

"Stop quoting Celine Dion." Puck crossed his arms, but still had a smile on his face, meaning to Finn that he was going to tag along.

"I won't tell a soul that you listen to Celine Dion." Finn answered back, reciprocating his smile. He then thought of a brilliant idea, one that would be amazing and help his Glee club. "Hey Puck, what are you doing from now until the show?"

"Nothing, why?" Puck wondered.

"I'm missing a member for my club and I wouldn't ask this if I wasn't desperate…" Finn let out a sigh before getting on with the question. "What do you say about joining my Glee Club just for Sectionals?"

"You are my bro and bros do help bros." Puck nodded his head. "It would be a shame to see that talent wasted. All right, I'll join to help you."

"You never know, you might like it." Finn shrugged his shoulders. Puck walked past Finn towards Finn's kitchen, shaking his head as he turned around.

"Don't press your luck, Hudson." Finn and Puck burst out into laughter, remembering the gold old times where it was just the two of them, taking on the world. Puck being in New York for a couple of days could be just the thing to help Finn with his overall problem: how to mellow out.

* * *

"Wow, so this is the famous NYADA auditorium." Quinn spoke out as she walked in with Santana and Rachel the next afternoon. Quinn had gotten to New York the night before, so Santana and Rachel decided to take Quinn under their wing and show her everything New York City had to offer. Quinn had to say that she was entirely impressed with NYADA and New York. "This is amazing. So this is where Sectionals is going to happen?"

"Exactly." Rachel smiled. "I mean, Finn had put so much work into it. It's exciting."

"Finn always loved music." Quinn smiled, staring at the stage. "He still loves it. I think that's the only way that Finn knows how to express himself."

"Then he needs to find a new hobby." Santana joked as Quinn and Rachel laughed. "You know, Finn always dreamed of being a football player, the Quarterback."

"Until Coach Cooter took that dream away from him." Quinn added. "But I have to admit that I am so proud of him. He's really done an amazing job with this Glee Club. I heard them the other day and I realize that they are ready…they're ready to compete."

"I'm really proud of him too." Rachel added, a smile flashing on her face.

"Well it's very nice to hear that ladies, thank you." Quinn, Santana and Rachel turned around to see Finn with a folder in his hand, smiling at them. Right beside Finn was Puck. Quinn couldn't keep her eyes off Puck. She just continued to study him. Did Puck get taller? Quinn couldn't put a finger on it. One by one the Glee Club members entered the room, staring at Puck and Quinn with interest. Who were they and what were they doing here? "All right, let's get started shall we?" Finn looked to the Glee Club, but noticed he was missing someone. "Hey, where's Kurt?" As if on cue, Kurt came in with Blaine, sitting down with the other Glee Club members. Everyone took their seats as Finn sat on the stage, looking at each of them with a grin. "All right, now before we begin I want to introduce you to a couple of friends of mine. This is Quinn Fabray, Blaine Anderson and Noah "Puck" Puckerman. Please call Noah by his nickname "Puck" or he will destroy you." The Glee Club couldn't help but laugh and neither could Puck. "All right, back to the business at hand. I know that we're missing a member to perform at Sectionals but thanks to Puck, we now have ten members in order to compete. Puck has ever so graciously agreed to offer his services to help us just so I don't look incompetent. Now, this is the first competition for a lot of you in here, this is the first competition that I ever took charge in. I can't promise that we're going to win Sectionals, but what I can promise is that we are together as a team, win or lose. I received a list of our competition, so here are the names. _The G-Notes _and _The Pixie Dixies_. I have no idea who would name their club _The Pixie Dixies_."

"I don't know who would name their group _Finn Harmonic_." Santana retorted playfully.

"Touché." Finn pointed at Santana with a smile, looking at the group after the laughter died down. "It's been really fun working with you all and I hope that we could work together in the future. I love each and every one of you guys…and I want to thank you for letting me know that I was born to do this. I was born to be a music teacher. This is my calling."

"Can I say something?" Vicky raised her hand to Finn. Finn nodded his head as Vicky got up from her seat. She walked to the front of the auditorium, staring at Finn with a smile. "I hated Finn when he first joined the Glee Club, I'll admit. I thought he was a know it all, he was cocky and that he didn't have an idea about running the club. I was wrong…he's a great leader, he's an amazing friend…and Finn's my hero. If there's anyone that I can hope…is that I hope that I can be as selfless, caring and talented as Finn Hudson. Regardless whether we win or lose, Finn…you're a winner and you made us all winners in here. So, we love you and thank you." Finn felt a lump in his throat as his eyes began to water. He didn't want to cry, especially not here and now—but he couldn't help it. The speech was so beautiful. Finn wiped the tears that were on his face, losing his composure slightly.

"Wow." Finn said as he wiped the few remaining tears from his eyes. "Thank you…that meant a lot. I really appreciate it. Now…before we begin our final lesson before Sectionals, Quinn, Santana and Rachel wanted to say something." Quinn, Santana and Rachel got on the stage, looking over at the Glee group.

"There are a few things that you have to remember." Quinn said with a smile. "The first thing is that you all have to be in sync when you're on stage. Your dancing has to be flawless and it's important that you don't mess up the notes when you're singing. It also wouldn't hurt to give a wink to the judges now and again. You know."

"You sound like you've done this before." Melissa said.

"I was in the Glee Club Finn, Rachel, Puck, Blaine and Santana were in. The New Directions." Quinn grinned. "It was one of the greatest experiences of my life."

"Can you give us an example on something that could impress the judges?" Celina asked, looking amazed at Quinn. Santana and Rachel looked at one another, nodding their heads towards Quinn.

"We could tell you…" Quinn walked around in a small circle before pointing towards the band. "But I think it would be better if we showed you. Hit it!"

_{The band starts playing the music as Quinn, Santana and Rachel start dancing. Rachel winks at Finn while Quinn can't seem to keep her eyes off Puck, wondering what's wrong with her. Puck looks at Quinn intently as Finn lets out a smile}_

_[Quinn](Santana and Rachel)  
I've been crying (Ooh, ooh)  
Cause I'm lonely (For you)  
Smiles have all turned (To tears)  
But tears won't wash away the fear (Ooh, ooh)  
That you're never ever gonna return (Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh)  
To ease the fire that within me burns (Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh)_

_It keeps me (crying baby for you)  
Keeps me (sighing baby for you)  
So won't you hurry?  
Come on boy and see about me (Come see about me)  
See about you baby (Come see about me)_

_I've given up my friends just (For you)  
My friends have gone and you (ha-have to)  
No peace shall I find (Ooh, ooh)  
Until you come back  
And be mine (Ooh, ooh)  
No matter what you do or say (Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh)  
I'm gonna love you anyway (Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh)_

_Keep on (crying baby for you)  
I'm gonna keep (sighing baby for you)  
So won't you hurry?  
Come on boy and see about me (Come see about me)  
See about you baby (Come see about me)_

_Sometimes up (Ooh, ooh)  
Sometimes down (Ooh, ooh)  
My life's so uncertain (Ooh, ooh)  
With you not around (Ooh, ooh)  
From my arms you may be out of reach (Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh)  
But my heart says you're here to keep (Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh)_

_Keeps me (crying baby for you)  
Keep on, keep on (crying baby for you)  
So won't you hurry?  
Come on boy and see about me (Come see about me)  
See about you baby (Come see about me)  
You know I'm so lonely (Come see about me)  
I love you only (Come see about me)_

_[Rachel](Santana and Quinn)  
See about me (Come see about me)_

_[Quinn](Rachel and Santana)  
See about you baby (Come see about me)_

_[Santana](Quinn and Rachel)  
You know I'm so lonely (Come see about me)_

_[Quinn] (Santana and Rachel)  
I love you only (Come see about me)  
Come see about me  
Ooh_

The Glee club clapped loudly for Quinn but while Quinn tried to give them her undivided attention, she found her eyes wandering over to Puck. Finn realized what was going on as well, staring at Rachel and giving her a wink. It seemed that Quinn was singing her song to Puck, but of course Finn didn't want to admit. Staring at Finn and Rachel made Finn feel like Finn Harmonic was almost ready for Sectionals. They were almost ready to show the world everything they had. Emphasis on the word, _almost_.

* * *

The night before Sectionals, Finn found himself in the living room after everyone had went to bed, staring absentmindedly at the television as his mind continued to race. _Maybe I'm dumb for even thinking that I could do this,_ Finn thought to himself. _I don't feel prepared and I'm afraid they might not feel prepared either._ Finn heard footsteps behind him, causing him to turn around and spot Rachel, wearing his plaid shirt and her very short pajama shorts. Rachel sat on the couch next to him, looking over at the television to wonder what he was watching. The television wasn't even on.

"Finn? Are you okay?" Rachel asked, folding her hands together. "You're watching nothing on the television."

"I'm fine." Finn lied slightly. To be honest, he wasn't fine. He was worried. "What if I mess up tomorrow, Rachel? I mean, Mr. Schue is coming to New York and he's going to watch our Sectionals. What if I mess up in front of him? I want him to see that I've done a great job but I don't feel prepared enough to send our Glee Club out there."

"Finn, the work that you've put into that Glee Club is amazing." Rachel softly assured him, putting her hands on his cheeks. "Finn, you've done an amazing job, there's no doubt about it. I am so proud of you…you need to hear someone tell you that you've done an amazing job. And remember what I told you the other day? I'll be there to hold your hand win or lose, no matter what. You're my whole world."

"I am?" Finn wondered, arching an eyebrow.

"You are." Rachel assured him. She moved closer so that she was sitting on his lap, Finn holding her close to him as she leaned her head on his shoulder. "Whatever happens tomorrow, just know this Finn…" Rachel reached down for one of Finn's hands, interlocking their fingers together. "I love you so much…and there's nothing I wouldn't do for you. You're an inspiring human, Finn Hudson…and there's no better way to spend my future than to be loved and inspired by you. You're my person." Finn smiled widely, pressing a kiss on Rachel's forehead.

"I love you, Rachel." Finn lovingly said. "So…did you hear about _Funny Girl_ yet?"

"No, I didn't hear yet." Rachel shrugged her shoulders. "Let's forget about _Funny Girl_ for now. Right now, I want to help you with your Glee Club. Even if that means kicking butt at Sectionals!" Finn laughed, holding Rachel close, as she looked him in the eye. "I love you Finn. Forever and always."

"I love you more…" Finn pressed a kiss to Rachel's lips as they started to make out on the couch.

"If you two are gonna have sex, can you go back to your room?" Finn and Rachel turned to the couch bed on the other end of the room to spot Puck who was sleeping with his blanket. "I love you both but I don't wanna hear any of that." Finn and Rachel blushed, chuckling as Rachel got off Finn and headed towards their room.

"Goodnight, Puck." Rachel laughed slightly, closing the door to the room. Finn got up from the couch to fix his shirt, turning to Puck and nodding his head.

"Goodnight, bro." Finn patted Puck's shoulder, making his way to the room. As soon as Finn closed the bedroom door, Puck went into his night bag to grab some earplugs, placing them in his ear and letting out a content smile.

"I knew there was a reason I always brought earplugs with me." Puck sleepily said before going back into his slumber.

* * *

Finn walked along the NYADA hallways in his Sectionals outfit the next morning, staring at all the people that were coming in and seeing the performance. His stomach started to twist and turn, feeling slightly nauseous from all of the anxiety that was building up in his body. As he turned back around towards the auditorium, he spotted none other than Cassandra July. Finn groaned, feeling his stomach turning as hard as a rock.

"Oh look, it's the Wicked Witch of NYADA." Finn grumbled. Cassandra walked over to him, letting out a smirk.

"I'm here to wish you good luck." Cassandra looked at Finn who looked taken aback.

"You what?" Finn wasn't sure if he heard Cassandra right.

"I'm here to wish you luck…because you're going to need it." Cassandra chortled, letting Finn know that Cassandra was never going to change. "I just want to remind you that if you lose, your little Glee Club will be disbanded and will be one gigantic failure. Then all the money that you're supposed to get for your club will go to me and you'll be a miserable student for the next four years."

"So you're saying that if I lose then the club is disbanded?" Finn wondered.

"That's what I'm saying." Cassandra walked past him, but made sure that she purposely bumped into Finn to make her presence known. Finn held onto his stomach, feeling the sudden urge to vomit, not sure if it was from the stress or the fact that he wasn't feeling well. Finn ran to the boys bathroom and just made it to the toilet as he retched, emptying his breakfast into the toilet. After Finn was sure that he had finished throwing up, he went to the sink to rinse his mouth and splash some water on his face. He did admit that he did feel slightly better, but he was also really nervous. Finn exited the bathroom without looking up, noticing the brown dress shoes that were in front of him. Finn viewed up, seeing Mr. Schuester smiling at him, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Finn." Mr. Schuester smiled. Finn hugged Mr. Schuester tightly, a grin appearing on his face.

"You came." Finn looked at Mr. Schuester with wonder.

"What, you thought I wasn't going to come?" Mr. Schuester chuckled, allowing Finn to relax slightly. "Pre-Sectionals jitters?" Mr. Schuester motioned towards the bathroom.

"Yeah…I've never thrown up before a competition." Finn sighed. "I don't know why I'm nervous for this one."

"Let me tell you a little secret, Finn." Mr. Schuester put an arm around Finn, staring at his former student. "When you guys had your Invitational in order to let you into the Show choir Circuit…I threw up too…except mine was worse. I had been puking since I left my house that morning. I guess there was a lot of pressure to be the best. I wanted to be the best and I can feel that you want to be the best too." Finn let out a heavy sigh, his breath slightly shaking. Mr. Schuester put both his hands on Finn's shoulders, getting Finn to look at him. "Everything's going to be okay, Finn. All right? As long as you believe in your team, great things can happen."

"How are you so sure?" Finn asked.

"Because I told myself the same thing I'm telling you." Mr. Schuester grinned. "And wasn't I right? We won Nationals last year…"

"Yeah, you were." Finn said.

"Look, whatever happens I want you to go out there and have fun. That's all you can really do, right?" Mr. Schuester smiled. Finn saw the lights blinking, meaning that he had to head back to his team. "Hey Finn…break a leg."

"You want me to break my leg?" Finn innocently asked causing Mr. Schuster to chuckle.

"No, I don't want you to break your leg. It means good luck in theatre terms." Finn nodded his head understanding what his mentor had meant, giving him a hug. Finn started to make his way down the hallway before turning around, staring at Mr. Schue.

"Hey…I think you're really going to like the set-list…I thought of you in mind." Finn said with a grin as he ran away towards where the rest of his team was. Mr. Schue could only smile proudly. Finn had grown up—and become his own successful person.

* * *

"I'm so nervous I think my armpits have armpits that are sweating." Santana said to Rachel, Kurt and Blaine as she sat in one of the makeup chairs. "Where's Frankenteen for show circle?"

"He'll be here. Don't worry." Quinn assured Santana who was just coming back from the hallway. Quinn found her eyes looking over to Puck who was currently being taught by Brody on how to put on a clip-on tie. _Oh Puck, _Quinn couldn't help but chuckle at him.

"Quinn? Are you okay?" Blaine asked, getting her attention. Quinn whiplashed her head towards Blaine, assuring him that she was fine.

"I don't know Blaine, Quinn seems to have it a bit bad for Puck over there." Kurt pointed towards Puck.

"What?" Quinn scoffed, shaking her head. "No, that's ridiculous!"

"That's not ridiculous." Kurt smirked towards his friend.

"Quinn likes Puck, Quinn likes Puck." Santana teased in a sing-song voice.

"Really? How mature, Santana." Quinn didn't want to admit it, but she was afraid Santana was right. Maybe Quinn _did_ like Puck.

"I don't believe this!" Everyone turned to see Vicky walking over towards the group, becoming flustered and upset. "You guys are not going to believe this!"

"What are we not going to believe?" Dustin got up from his chair, heading over to Vicky. "Did something happen?"

"Yeah! Simone joined another Glee Club!" Vicky exclaimed.

"Who would want her in a Glee Club?" Santana scrunched her face in confusion, staring at Vicky.

"_The Pixie Dixies_." Vicky answered. "She's their new lead singer."

"Can a group do that?" Melissa walked to Vicky in misperception. "Let someone in their Glee Club a week before a competition."

"Why not?" Kurt pointed over to Puck who was sitting in a nearby chair. "Finn let Puck join a week before Sectionals."

"This is bad! This is really bad." Celina was beginning to let the anxiety get to her. "We could possibly lose to Simone! Maybe it was better to have her in the club just so she wasn't a threat during Sectionals."

"Finn was going to kick Simone out of the club regardless." Brody reminded them. "It might as well have been now. Look, we should feel prepared enough to perform during Sectionals, right? So let's just go out there and show them what we're made of."

"That's the spirit, Brody." Finn entered the room, clapping his hands together. "Now, before we go out there there's something I have to tell you guys, so let's get in a show circle. Come on." Everyone walked over to Finn as he let out a deep breath. "Whatever happens today, I am so proud of you guys. We have a great group of people here and I have the confidence that we're going to make it to Regionals. But…that can only happen if we all work together. So what do you say, guys? Can we work together and pull out a win?" Everyone put their hands on top of Finn's as if that was their silent way of saying that they had faith in themselves and in him. "All right! On three! One, two, three…"

"FINN HARMONIC!"

* * *

The groups sat in the auditorium watching the other competition, Finn's group feeling more and more anxious as time went along. Finally, it was time for _The Pixie Dixies _to perform, headlining Simone. Finn gripped the seat, Rachel noticing that Finn was nervous.

"Finn? Are you okay?" Rachel whispered.

"I think I might throw up again." Finn nervously told Rachel. Rachel rubbed Finn's back, her eyes widening after a few moments.

"Wait a minute, _again_?" Rachel couldn't get Finn to elaborate much further…here were Simone and her Glee Group…and Rachel had to admit that they looked good. Their costumes were bedazzled in pink, purple and baby blue, as each girl wore pink headbands. Rachel looked down at her costume; their dresses were black with gold hemming while wearing a gold headband. The boys wore black slacks, black collared shirts and gold ties. Rachel admitted, Simone's costume was prettier…and she was certain that Simone was going to sound better than her once she opened her mouth.

"_LADIES AND GENTLEMEN…THE PIXIE DIXIES!_" The announcer yelled over the speakers. Finn and Rachel kept their eyes glued to the stage, observing every move Simone made.

_{The music begins and Simone stands in the middle of the stage, giving everyone a "friendly" smile. The group dances around her as Simone sings}_

_[Simone]  
Don't go for second best baby  
Put your love to the test  
You know, you know you got to  
Make him express how he feels  
And baby then you'll know your love is real_

_My mama told me when I was young  
We were all born superstars  
She'd roll my hair and put my lipstick on  
In a glass on her boudoir  
There's nothing wrong with loving who you are  
She said, cause he made you perfect babe  
So hold your head up girl and you'll go far  
Listen to me when I say_

_[Simone with The Pixie Dixies]  
Don't go for second best baby  
Put your love to the test  
You know, you know you got to  
Make him express how he feels  
And baby then you'll know your love is real_

_[Simone]  
Long stem roses are the way to your heart  
But, he needs to start with your head  
Satin sheets are very romantic  
What happens when you're not in bed  
You deserve the best in life  
So if the time isn't right then move on  
Second best is never enough  
You'll do much better baby on your own_

_[Simone with The Pixie Dixies]  
I'm beautiful in my way  
Cause God makes no mistakes  
I'm on the right track baby, I was born this way  
Don't hide yourself in regret  
Just love yourself and be set  
I'm on the right track baby, I was born this way_

_Ooh, there aint' no other way  
Baby I was born this way  
Baby I was born this way  
So if you want it right now  
Make him show you how  
Express what he's got  
Baby, ready or not_

_[Simone]  
And when you're gone  
He might regret it  
Think about the love he once had  
Try to carry on  
But he just won't get it  
He'll be back on his knees_

_[Simone with The Pixie Dixies]  
I'm beautiful in my way  
Cause God makes no mistakes  
I'm on the right track baby, I was born this way  
Don't hide yourself in regret  
Just love yourself and be set  
I'm on the right track baby, I was born this way_

_I'm beautiful in my way  
Cause God makes no mistakes  
I'm on the right track baby, I was born this way  
Don't hide yourself in regret  
Just love yourself and be set  
I'm on the right track baby, I was born this way_

_I was born this way, hey  
I was born this way, hey  
I'm on the right track baby  
I was born this way, hey  
I was born this way, hey  
I was born this way, hey  
Just like hey, hey, hey, hey_

The crowd erupted with applause while Finn looked in shock and horror. They were good, _really good_. There was no way that Finn was going to be able to compete with that. He looked over to Rachel, Santana, Kurt and Puck noticing that they were giving him a look of support. This was the moment they were waiting for: it was time for _Finn Harmonic_ to make their show choir debut. The members went backstage, but Rachel noticed that Finn was tense—and he was also scared.

"Finn?" Rachel softly said, standing in front of him. Rachel put both her hands on Finn's cheeks to get him to look at her. Finn simply gazed at Rachel, believing that she was the most beautiful thing in the entire world. "Everything's going to be okay. All right? You can do this." Finn continued to look at Rachel, slowly nodding his head.

"I love you…" Finn softly whispered as Rachel smiled and tip-toed to meet his face.

"I love you too…" Rachel planted a passionate kiss on Finn's lips, Finn responding to the kiss right away. Finn and Rachel parted, giving Rachel a wide smile. "Let's go and kick some ass…" Finn chuckled wrapping an arm around Rachel's shoulders as everyone got into position.

"_LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! FINN HARMONIC!" _The announcer said through the microphone. Everyone got on the stage, looking over at the audience as they heard the piano play for their first number of their set-list.

_{The piano starts to play and everyone stares at the audience. Santana notices Simone with her group sitting down, staring at them with hate, but then become worried when Finn Harmonic actually sounds harmonious.}_

_[Finn, Rachel, Santana, Kurt, Brody and Puck with Finn Harmonic]  
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes  
Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear  
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes  
How do you measure, measure a year_

_In daylight, in sunsets  
In moments, in cups of coffee  
In inches, in miles  
In laughter, in strife_

_In five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes  
How do you measure a year in a life_

_[Kurt]  
How about (Kurt, Finn, Puck, Dustin and Brody: Love?)_

_[Santana]  
How about (Santana, Rachel, Celina, Melissa and Vicky: Love?)_

_[Kurt and Santana]  
How about love?_

_[Kurt]  
Measure (Kurt and Finn: in love)_

_[Kurt and Melissa]  
Seasons of (Santana: Love) (Brody: Love)  
Seasons of (Santana and Celina: Love) (Brody and Dustin: Love)_

_[Rachel]  
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes_

_[Vicky]  
Five hundred twenty-five thousand journey's to plan_

_[Celina]  
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes_

_[Melissa]  
How do you measure the life of a woman or a man_

_[Santana]  
In truth that she learned_

_[Kurt]  
Or in times that he cried_

_[Puck]  
In bridges he burned_

_[Celina]  
Or the way that she died_

_[Finn and Rachel with Finn Harmonic]  
It's time now to sing out  
Though the story never ends_

_[Finn Harmonic]  
Let's celebrate  
Remember the year  
of a life of a friend_

_[Brody and Dustin]  
Remember the (Santana and Kurt: Love) [Rachel: Oh you got to, you got to, remember the love]  
Remember the (Santana and Kurt: Love) {Rachel: You know that love is a gift from above]  
Remember the (Santana and Kurt: Love) [Rachel: Share love, give love, spread love]  
Measure in (Santana and Kurt: Love) [Rachel: Measure your life in love]_

_[Kurt and Melissa]  
Seasons of (Santana: Love) (Brody: Love)  
Seasons of (Santana and Celina: Love) (Brody and Dustin: Love)_

_{The audience applauds and the second song on the set-list starts to play. Finn looks at Mr. Schuester and sees Mr. Schuester, Quinn and Blaine laughing in glee}_

_[Finn]  
Well I remember every little thing  
As if it happened only yesterday  
Parked by lake  
And there was not another car in sight  
And I never met a girl  
Looking any better than you did  
And all the kids at school  
Were wishing they were me that night_

_[Puck with Finn Harmonic]  
And now our bodies are oh so close and tight  
It never felt so good, it never felt so right_

_[Kurt]  
And we're glowing like the metal on the edge of the knife  
Glowing like the metal on the edge of the night_

_[Brody]  
Come on, hold tight  
Come on, hold tight_

_[Santana with Melissa and Finn Harmonic]  
Though it's cold and lonely in the deep dark night_

_[Brody and Kurt with Finn Harmonic]  
I can see paradise by the dashboard light_

_[Finn]  
Though it's cold and lonely in the deep dark (Finn and Vicky: Night!)_

_[Vicky]  
In the deep dark night_

_[Finn]  
Paradise by the (Finn and Vicky: Dashboard light!)_

_We're gonna go all the way tonight  
We're gonna go all the way tonight's the night_

_[Finn and Puck with Finn Harmonic]  
We're gonna go all the way tonight  
We're gonna go all the way tonight's the night_

_[Finn, Puck and Brody with Finn Harmonic]  
We're gonna go all the way tonight  
We're gonna go all the way tonight's the night_

_[Finn, Puck, Brody and Vicky with Finn Harmonic]  
We're gonna go all the way tonight  
We're gonna go all the way tonight's the night_

_[Rachel]  
Stop right there!  
I gotta know right now  
Before we go any further do you love me  
Will you love me forever  
Do you need me  
Will you never leave me  
Will you make me so happy for the rest of my life  
Will you take me away and will you make me your wife_

_[Finn]  
Let me sleep on it (Finn Harmonic: Sleep on it)  
Baby, baby Let me sleep on it (Finn Harmonic: Sleep on it)  
Let me sleep on it, I'll give you an answer in the morning_

_[Rachel]  
I gotta know right now  
Do you love me (Finn Harmonic: Do you, do you love me)  
Will you love me forever  
Do you need me (Finn Harmonic; Do you, do you need me)  
Will you make me so happy for the rest of my life  
Will you take me away an will you make me your wife  
Will you love me, will you love me forever_

_[Finn]  
Let me sleep on it_

_{Rachel]  
Will you love me forever_

_[Finn]  
I couldn't take it any longer  
Lord I was crazed  
That the feeling came upon me  
Like a tidal wave  
I started swearing to my god  
And on my mother's grave  
That I would love you till the end of time  
I swore!  
I would love you till the end of time  
So now I'm praying for the end of time  
To hurry up and arrive  
Cause if I gotta spend another minute with you  
I don't' think I could nearly survive  
I'll never break my promise for forget my vow  
But God only knows what I would do right now  
I'm praying for the end of the time  
It's all that I can do (Vicky: All that I can do)  
Praying for the end of time  
So I can end my time with (Finn and Vicky: You!)_

_[Finn with Finn Harmonic](Rachel)  
It was long ago and it was far away (It never felt so good, it never felt so right)  
And it was so much better than it is today (And now we're glowing like a metal at the edge of a knife)  
It was long ago and it was far away (It never felt so good, it never felt so right)  
And it was so much better than it is today (And now we're glowing like a metal at the edge of a knife)_

_[Finn and Rachel with Finn Harmonic]  
Felt so right  
Felt so good  
Paradise!_

_{The final song of the set-list starts to play and it's just Finn and Rachel on the stage as Rachel smiles over at Finn, giving him a loving look}_

_[Rachel]  
Nobody listens to me  
Don't hear a single thing I've said  
Say anything to soothe me  
Anything to get you from my head  
Don't know how I really feel  
To fake the day to make it like I don't care  
Don't know how much it hurts  
To turn around and you were never there  
Like somehow you could be replaced  
And I could walk away from the promises we made  
And swore we'd never break_

_[Rachel and Finn]  
I thought I lost you  
When you ran away to try to find me  
I thought I'd never see your sweet face again  
I turn around and you were gone and on and on the days went  
But I kept the moments that we were in  
Cause I hoped in my heart, you'd come back to me my friend  
And now I got you  
I thought I lost you_

_[Finn]  
I felt so empty out there  
And there were days I had my doubts  
I knew I'd find you somewhere  
Because I knew I couldn't live without  
You in my life for one more day  
And I swore we'd never break the (Finn and Rachel: promises we made)_

_[Rachel and Finn]  
I thought I lost you  
When you ran away to try to find me  
I thought I'd never see your sweet face again  
I turn around and you were gone and on and on the days went  
But I kept the moments that we were in  
Cause I hoped in my heart, you'd come back to me my friend  
And now I got you  
I thought I lost you_

_[Finn]  
I told myself I wouldn't sleep  
till I searched the world from sea to sea_

_[Rachel]  
I made a wish upon a star  
I turned around and there you were_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
Now here we are, are_

_[Rachel]  
Here we are  
I thought I lost you (Finn: I thought I lost you too)  
I thought I lost you (Finn: I thought I lost you too)  
Yeah_

_[Rachel and Finn]  
I thought I lost you  
When you ran away to try to find me  
I thought I'd never see your sweet face again  
I turn around and you were gone and on and on the days went  
But I kept the moments that we were in  
Cause I hoped in my heart, you'd come back to me my friend  
And now I got you  
I thought I lost you_

_[Rachel]  
But I thought I lost you (Finn: I thought I lost you too)_

_[Rachel and Finn]  
So glad I got you, got you_

_[Rachel]  
So glad I got you, yeah  
I thought I lost you (Finn: I thought I lost you too)_

The crowd went _nuts_ as soon as the final song finished, Simone huffing and puffing while Finn and Rachel bowed. The curtain closed on them and as soon as it did, Rachel pulled Finn into an embrace, pressing a kiss to his cheek. Finn grinned, noticing that Rachel's expression was full of love and pride.

"You were incredible, Finn…" Rachel spoke so fondly. Finn leaned in to capture Rachel into a kiss, causing her to giggle slightly. Finn broke the kiss apart, staring at her with loving eyes.

"Rachel...I love you." Finn didn't know what else to say. Rachel nodded her head, putting a hand on his cheek.

"And I love you. Always have…always will." Rachel and Finn saw the lights flashing again, meaning that it was time to know their fate. Would Finn Harmonic be victorious?

* * *

It was revealed that Finn Harmonic were one of the top three groups in Sectionals, meaning that they would walk away with a trophy. The one they had their eye on was first place, the trophy that would get them into Regionals. Madame Tibideaux went to the front of the auditorium stage, holding two cards.

"Thank you all for joining us." Madame Tibideaux said, staring at the Glee clubs behind her. "Let's all offer our congratulations to these three Glee Clubs for making it as far as they did!" The audience boomed with applause as Madame Tibideaux smiled. "It's time to announce the winner of the 2013 Sectionals Show Case. The winner will advance to Regionals. In third place…we have _The G-Notes_." The _G-Notes_ Glee Club clapped, taking their third place trophy, knowing that this was the end of the line for them here. Madame Tibideaux stood in between Finn Harmonic and The Pixie Dixies, looking at both Glee Clubs with a smile. "And now…the winner." Madame Tibideaux opened the envelope, looking at the gold lettering. "The winner of the 2013 Sectionals Show Case is…_Finn Harmonic!_" Simone glared over at Finn and the rest of his Glee Club, but they were still taking in that they won the competition.

"We won. WE WON!" Kurt shouted to Finn, Finn's shock disappearing as a smile appeared on his face. The members of Finn Harmonic hugged one another while the audience stood up from their seats and applauded them. Finn hugged Rachel tightly, pressing a kiss into her hair as Rachel hugged him back, tears coming to her eyes.

"There's still one more thing we have to do." Madame Tibideaux smiled, causing Finn Harmonic to cease their celebration for the moment. "The 2013 Sectionals Show Choir MVP is…_Finn Hudson!_" Rachel, Santana and Kurt embraced Finn tightly, motioning for him to take his place front and center on the stage. Finn walked over to Madame Tibideaux, taking the MVP award and the trophy from her. "You're very inspirational Mr. Hudson…the work you put into this really showed that you have what it takes to lead. Congratulations and the best of luck to you at Regionals."

"Oh my gosh…thank you, Madame Tibideaux." Finn couldn't wipe the smile off his face even if he tried. Finn looked over to Rachel, motioning for her to come forward. Rachel walked over; wiping some of the tears she had in her eyes. Finn had to wonder why she was crying, so he took her hand and pulled her closer to him. "Rachel, why are you crying?" Rachel had the tears go down her face, but she was beaming.

"I love you so much." Rachel said through tears. Finn pulled her closer, staring into her eyes.

"I love you, forever." Finn swooped down and brought Rachel into the most breathtaking kiss that he ever could imagine. Without breaking the kiss, Finn and Rachel lifted the trophy in the air, with everyone in the audience cheering for them.

* * *

Finn and Rachel walked hand in hand with the trophy down the NYADA hallway about an hour later, unsure of what to do with it. He didn't have a classroom to put it in and wasn't expecting to get one. As Finn and Rachel made their way down the hallway, Finn heard footsteps behind them.

"Mr. Hudson? May I have a word with you for a moment?" Finn turned around to see Madame Tibideaux smiling at him. Rachel let go of Finn's hand and assured him that he should go on. "Are you sure?" Finn whispered to Rachel.

"Yeah, I was just going to head over to the hair and makeup room." Rachel said with a grin. "I think I left my phone in there."

"All right, I'll see you in a few minutes." Finn pressed a kiss to Rachel's forehead and then Rachel was on her merry way. Finn walked over to Madame Tibideaux, giving her a grin. "Yes Madame Tibideaux."

"I just want to say that first off…I've never seen a student like you before in my years of teaching." Madame Tibideaux said. "A lot of freshmen usually have no idea as to what they want to do when they're in college. Majority of them are into frat parties or…getting themselves into trouble. You're different Mr. Hudson. You came in here and took a hold of a Glee Club that the state was getting ready to cut, turning them into Sectionals champions."

"I didn't know that they were going to cut the Glee Club." Finn sounded surprised. "I joined because I thought it would have been a good idea for me to do something in my comfort zone. But being a leader to all these kids made me realize that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I never want to do anything different."

"Which is why you're so different. You're passionate, tenacious and one of the most loyal gentlemen I've ever met." Madame Tibideaux continued to study him. "I notice that you have nowhere to put that trophy."

"I was just going to leave it in your office since there's nowhere for the Glee Club to look at it in the auditorium." Finn said. Madame Tibideaux shook her head, leading Finn to an empty classroom. The classroom mirrored the Glee Club's room at McKinley. Piano's, red seats, drum sets…and a trophy case. "That's where you're going to put the trophy. In this Glee Club classroom that will only be used for your club. And since Glee Club is not a mandated class, it would be allowed for you to teach them." Finn couldn't believe that Madame Tibideaux had instilled so much confidence in him. He never would have dreamed of something so amazing in his entire life.

"Thank you, Madame Tibideaux." Finn said. "This means the world to me."

"You can thank NYADA by winning Regionals and sending your club to a National Championship." Madame Tibideaux smiled. "You have so much potential, Mr. Hudson. I want you to know that." With that, Madame Tibideaux made her way out of the room while Finn observed the classroom. This was it. This was _his_ classroom. He was going to teach Glee Club _here_. Finn turned to the trophy case, putting the Sectionals trophy inside and giving a proud smile to himself.

"So you're like another Mr. Schue, now huh?" Finn turned around to see Puck there chuckling. Finn got up from his position, making his way to his best friend.

"Yeah, you can say that." Finn shrugged his shoulders, the smile still on his face. "Thank you for helping me Puck. We were really in a grind here."

"You're welcome dude." Puck hugged Finn tightly and Finn couldn't help but hug Puck back. "Hey, Finn…"

"Yeah?" Finn asked, not moving from his position.

"I'm proud of you, bro." Puck looked to Finn, nodding his head with a smile. "I really mean it…you're…you're moving on up. A student doesn't get a classroom for his Glee Club every day."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Finn looked at Puck, still keeping a smile. "Thanks Puck. I love you man."

"I love you too, bro." Puck patted Finn's back, but as he patted Finn's back, it looked like he was trying to say something. "Being in your club just for a little bit made me have some purpose in my life. I was wondering if…if…"

"Puck…are you asking if you could join the Glee Club fulltime?" Finn tried to get the question out of Puck's mouth. Puck nodded his head quickly, Finn's smile growing wider. "Dude…I never thought you'd ask. Besides, now we have an even amount of boys and girls. Hey…if you want…you can live in the loft with Rachel, Santana, Kurt and I. I mean, it gets kind of lonely for me sometimes. Sure I have Rachel…but I don't have a bro who likes the same things I like. Oh, but there's a couple of ground rules: no bullying Kurt about his clothes and no parties…unless I agree to them. Deal?"

"Deal." Puck nodded his head as Puck and Finn high fived. Santana rushed into the room, looking worried as both Puck and Finn turned to Santana with interest. Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong.

"Finn! Rachel slipped on some silk and fell! I think she hit her head and she's not waking up!" Santana screeched. Finn looked worried, running out of the classroom as Puck and Santana followed, going to see if Rachel was all right.

* * *

Finn stood in the waiting room of the hospital with Kurt, Santana, Quinn, Blaine, Mr. Schuester and Puck, pacing back and forth just hoping that Rachel was all right. The last thing Finn needed was losing the person he loved the most.

"I'm sure that Rachel's going to be okay." Kurt assured his brother. "I mean, the fall didn't look so bad."

"She's unconscious, Kurt! The fall was pretty bad." Finn yelled, after failing to keep his composure. "I'm…I'm sorry, I…"

"No, it's all right." Kurt tried his best to smile. "It's okay. You're just worried about her that's all." Finn looked over to see the doctor was entering the waiting room, staring down at a file. Finn prayed that the file belonged to Rachel.

"I'm looking for the family of Rachel Berry." The doctor said.

"I'm her fiancé, is she all right?" Finn walked over to the doctor, the doctor nodding his head.

"She's fine. But, I have to warn you…" The doctor started to say, until Finn dashed right past him, looking for Rachel's room. Finn saw Rachel sitting on the bed as if she was almost in a daze, Finn letting out a sigh.

"Oh my god, Rachel!" Finn ran over to her and embraced her in a hug. "Are you okay?" To Finn's surprise, Rachel broke the grasp, staring up at him in shock.

"Who's Rachel?" Rachel shook her head, not understanding anything. "And…who are _you_?" Finn took a step back, staring at his fiancée with worried eyes. The doctor entered the room, seeing that Finn was in shock and Rachel was utterly confused.

"I tried to tell you…Rachel has amnesia. She doesn't remember herself, where she lives, where she goes to school…" the doctor then faced Finn, the next few words feeling like someone had stabbed Finn in the heart. "And she doesn't remember _you_."

* * *

_**GUEST STARRING**_

_**Mark Salling as Noah "Puck" Puckerman**_

_**Dianna Agron as Quinn Fabray**_

_**Matthew Morrison as Will Schuester**_

_**Darren Criss as Blaine Anderson**_

_**Whoopi Goldberg as Madame Tibideaux**_

_**Kate Hudson as Cassandra July**_

_**Ariana Grande as Simone Barberrie**_

_**Victoria Justice as Vicky Martinez**_

_**Jesse McCartney as Dustin Shafer**_

_**Olesya Rulin as Melissa Stewart**_

_**Cassadee Pope as Celina Jones**_

_**Dean Geyer as Brody Weston**_

_**SONG(S):**_

_**Come See About Me (Originally by The Supremes): Performed by Quinn Fabray with Santana Lopez and Rachel Berry**_

_**Born This Way / Express Yourself (Originally by Lady Gaga / Madonna): Performed by The Pixie Dixies**_

_**Seasons of Love (Originally from the Musical "Rent"): Performed by Finn Harmonic**_

_**Paradise By The Dashboard Light (Originally by Meatloaf): Performed by Finn Harmonic**_

_**I Thought I Lost You (Originally by Miley Cyrus and John Travolta): Performed by Rachel Berry and Finn Hudson with Finn Harmonic**_

* * *

_**Voice Over: "Glee: The New York Story" returns in two weeks with the Season 2 premiere, and there's just one question everyone wants to know: Will. Finchel. Survive?**_

_{Finn sits on the bed and Rachel stares at him blankly as she wears her old Glee Season 1 clothing}_

_Rachel: What point of I don't remember you, don't you understand?!_

_Finn(Angry): You always told me that you would be there for me, no matter what. That we would be together forever. That if I need a hand to hold…I could hold yours. Are you saying you really want nothing to do with me?_

_Rachel(Upset): I don't even know you…and I'm not sure if I want to…_

_{Finn walks out the door with "The Scientist" playing in the background. The scene goes back to Finn standing by the doorway, looking over at Rachel and Rachel sits on the bed.}_

_Finn(On the verge of tears): I guess…this is goodbye…_

_Rachel: Yeah…I guess it is. _

_**Voice Over: "Glee: The New York Story". Returns in two weeks.**_


	23. 2x01: Need You Now

_**Episode Synopsis: **Some of Rachel's friends decide to sing duets that they've sung with her in the past to get her to remember them, but Finn becomes heartbroken when Rachel doesn't seem to remember him-or **want** to remember him. Rachel's refusal to remember him leaves Finn to contemplate whether it's time to move on from Rachel. _

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I do not own Glee but I wish I did._

**_Note:_**_ Here we go everyone! It's the Season 2 premiere of "Glee: The New York Story." Just to clear a few things in the air._

**_1)_**_ Puck is now a main cast member and now stays at the loft with Finn, Rachel, Santana and Kurt. I figured Finn needed his best bro in New York so they could make some mischief together._

**_2)_**_ This will be updated weekly. Every week, I'm going to update it on Tuesday just so it's consistent. _

**_3)_**_ This episode has some songs that have been sung on Glee before. I used them so that it could trigger Rachel's memory. Also an item from the "Glee: The New York Story"'s Season 1 finale plays a main part in the Finchel story line._

_**4) **It would have been repetitive for Rachel to remember everyone, so to save time, Finn explains everything later in the episode. I don't wan to give it away, but just so you know. If Rachel knows a character yet they didn't jog her memory, it didn't happen "on-screen".  
_

_**5) **I have the episode titles for the first six episodes before the story goes on a Christmas hiatus (I'm usually extremely busy during the Holidays but we'll get to that later). Here they are:  
_

**_2x01: _**_Need You Now_**_  
2x02: _**_Thanksgiving_**_  
2x03: _**_Blurred Lines_**_  
2x04: _**_Marry The Night_**_  
2x05: _**_We Need A Glee Christmas_**_  
2x06:_ **_I Do__  
_

_With that being said, enjoy the episode everyone and enjoy Season 2!_

* * *

Finn sat in the hospital chair next to Rachel's bedside, watching her as she slept. He just couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that she didn't know who she was, where she lived—that she and Finn were to be together for all eternity. Finn felt like breaking down and crying, especially with Rachel's words "_who are you_?" going through his mind. The doctor's words about Rachel not remembering Finn felt like he was a vampire that was staked through the heart, those words being the poison that would kill him. Finn sat there, unbelieving that Rachel forgot all about him—and everyone else. Finn heard a knock on the door, facing to see Burt and Carole entering the room with a small smile.

"Hi Finny." Carole softly said, pressing a kiss to Finn's forehead. Finn gave a quick smile to his mother but his smile immediately disappeared when he looked over at Rachel sleeping. Carole looked to Rachel, staring at the woman that her son loved more than life itself. "She still doesn't remember anything?" Finn simply shook his head, Burt taking one of the empty seats and sitting down next to his son.

"The doctor said it could be days...weeks…months…years…maybe even forever." Finn spoke barely above a whisper. "Mom, I can't lose her…"

"I know you can't lose her, Finny. I know." Carole sympathetically said, rubbing her son's back. "But you have to remember that this is going to require a lot of patience. She might not remember anyone or anything. She's just going to have to jog her own memory at her own pace."

"So what am I supposed to do until then?" Finn wondered. "Just sit here and pretend that Rachel and I were never together?"

"No…you can help her jog her memory…but you can't force her to remember you." Carole explained softly. "She'll remember you when she's ready, Finn. How about until she gets her memory back, you pretend that you two are meeting for the first time?" Finn considered it, but shook his head.

"I want things to be the way they were before." Finn gruffly said. "We were supposed to be celebrating our Sectionals win. We're supposed to be getting ready for Regionals together. How can I do that when the one person that I love more than life itself doesn't even remember who I am?"

"Finn, she's going to get better." Burt patted Finn's shoulder. "It's going to take time son, I know. I know that you're frustrated and that you're scared you're going to lose her but there's nothing you can do right now. You just have to be there for her." Finn sighed, noticing that Rachel was waking up from her slumber. Rachel's eyes fluttered over to Finn, staring at him with interest. Who was he and what was he still doing here? Rachel didn't know him…at least she didn't think she knew him.

"Oh…hello there." Rachel sat up from the bed, staring at Finn as she folded her hands. "How do you do?"

"How do I do? Um…worried sick about you." Finn answered, still looking at Rachel. Rachel shook her head, letting out a slight chuckle.

"I don't understand how you can be worried about me. I don't know you…and I don't even know your name kind stranger." Rachel looked around the room, facing back to Finn. "I don't even know who I am…and who are you kind people?" Finn turned to his mother, noticing she was giving him a small nod. Finn looked to Rachel, scooting his chair next to her. Finn looked in her eyes, giving her a smile.

"You're name is Rachel Barbra Berry." Finn continued to look into Rachel's eyes. "You live in New York City and you go to NYADA."

"Why is my middle name Barbra?" Rachel questioned. "It sounds like an old lady…"

"Your dads…um, you have two fathers and they love Broadway almost as much as they love you." Finn answered. "Your favorite Broadway actress is Barbra Streisand; she was in the movie _Funny Girl_. You love Broadway just as much as Barbra Streisand does and _Funny Girl_ is your favorite Broadway musical and movie. I should know, you made me watch it a million times—I grew to actually like it." Finn couldn't help but smile at mentioning the last part. "Anyway, you live in a loft with me, Santana, Kurt and now…Puck. I was going to tell you about Puck…um, do you remember any of them?"

"I'm afraid not." Rachel shook her head. "I didn't get your name…what is it?"

"My name? Um…it's Finn Hudson." Finn continued to look at Rachel. That was physically Rachel in front of him…but that _wasn't_ Rachel. Not inside at least, it was hard for Finn to explain. Finn felt a lump in his throat and some tears come to his eyes as he continued to stare at Rachel. "My name is Finn. And I know that you don't know what's going on and you're confused…but I'm going to be there for you. I'm going to help you, no matter what. I promise, Rachel." Rachel gazed into Finn's eyes, trying to study him.

"Flynn, what is NYADA?" Rachel asked. Finn's eyes widened slightly. She called him…Flynn.

"Um…NYADA is the New York Academy for Dramatic Arts." Finn explained. "Oh, and my name is Finn."

"What do I do there?" Rachel wondered.

"You're a student. You sing and you act and you dance." Finn tried to explain it to the best of his ability. "You're also in Glee Club. You were in High School and you continued it in college."

"Really? Was I good?" Rachel looked amused.

"Good? You were _fantastic_!" Finn grinned. "You were the one that helped lead the High School Glee Club to a Nationals trophy. Your vocals are amazing. Do you think you still remember how to sing?"

"I don't know…I could try…" Rachel shrugged her shoulders. "Do you know a song because right now I can't think of any?"

"There was this one song that we would sing in the car together when we drove around Lima…that's where we're from. Lima, Ohio…anyway the song's on the tip of my tongue…it's from Adele." Finn continued to think as he scratched his head. He finally remembered, looking at her with a grin. "All right, I'm going to sing a little bit of the song and then you're going to tell me if you can remember the rest of the lyrics. Okay?" Rachel gazed at Finn as he cleared his throat, keeping his eyes on her as his baritone voice began to fill the room.

_[Finn]  
When the rain is blowing in your face  
And the whole world is on your case  
I could offer you a warm embrace  
To make you feel my love._

"Do you need me to sing a little more for you to remember the song?" Finn wondered after he abruptly stopped singing. Rachel nodded her head slowly. Finn took a deep breath, feeling his mother rub his back comfortingly as he continued.

_[Finn]  
When the evening shadows and the stars appear  
And there's no one there to dry your tears  
I could hold you for a million years  
To make you feel my love_

_{Rachel nods her head, opening her mouth so she can sing.}_

_[Rachel]  
I know you haven't made your mind up yet  
And I would never do you wrong  
I've known it from the moment that we met  
No doubt in my mind where you belong…_

_[Finn]  
I go hungry, I go black and blue_

_[Rachel]  
I go crawling down the avenue_

_[Finn]  
No there's nothing that I wouldn't do_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
To make you feel my love. _

Finn stopped singing, giving Rachel a hopeful glance. Maybe their awesome musical chemistry would cause Rachel to remember who Finn was. Rachel smiled at Finn, clapping her hands with joy.

"Wow, Flynn. You have a great voice." Rachel grinned. Finn felt his heart drop a bit at Rachel's oblivion to who he was. Finn looked down at his shoes, trying his hardest not to show any emotion. Finn glanced at Rachel, his face painted in disappointment.

"You really don't know who I am? Do you?" Finn felt his voice quiver.

"I'm afraid I don't." Rachel shook her head. "But it was very nice to meet you, Flynn. Maybe you should apply to NYADA. Your voice is amazing."

"I _do_ go to NYADA." Finn sighed. "And my name is Finn."

"I'm a little tired, Flynn." Rachel stared at him. "Do you mind coming back later? You seem like an interesting person." Finn got up from his chair, giving Rachel one final glance as he started to make his way out of the room. "Maybe I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, later sounds good." Finn felt a lump in his throat as he exited the hospital room with Carole and Burt following him. As soon as Finn reached the hallway, he turned to Burt and wrapped his father in a hug. It didn't take Burt and Carole long to know that Finn was sobbing uncontrollably, and as his parents they did their best to comfort their son.

* * *

That night, Finn sat in the loft kitchen with Burt and Carole as Carole brought Finn some coffee. She placed it down next to her son but Finn glanced away from it. He wasn't in the mood to drink anything. All he wanted was Rachel. Carole and Burt looked at each other with a worried expression, facing back to Finn who was staring down at the table in depression.

"Hey buddy…" Burt looked at Finn, hoping to lighten Finn's mood. "So, Kurt told me about Sectionals and how you won." Finn looked up to Burt, nodding his head slowly. "Your mother and I are really proud of you, buddy."

"Thanks." Finn muttered, focusing back to the table. Finn looked like there was something on his mind. "I always see movies like these. The one where someone loses their memory and then around when the movies about to end…they remember everything and every person around them. Sometimes I wish that real life worked like the movies. Rachel must be so scared…not knowing who she is, where she came from…it's intense and it's pretty insane." Burt heard Finn choking back a sob as Finn continued to speak. "I don't want her to not remember me…I don't know what I'd do with myself if she never remembered me again. She's my rock…she's my moose."

"I think you mean _muse_ honey." Carole sat down at the table, letting out a small chuckle.

"It's was a joke between Rachel and I." Finn gave a sad smile to his mother. "We'd say it to each other when the other was sad…it would cheer us right up. Mom, do you know what it's like to love a person so much that if they were cruelly taken away from you, you wouldn't know what you would do or how you would go on."

"Yes, but Finn you know Rachel's not dead." Carole patted her son's hand.

"But it feels like the old Rachel did die when Rachel hit her head…" Finn said with tears in his eyes. "There's nothing I want to do more than to bring her back."

"You will, Finn…I know you will." Carole saw Finn breaking down again and pulled him into her arms. She rubbed his back soothingly as Finn cried. "Shh, I know baby. I know…" Burt looked to the living room of the loft, noticing that there was a photo album sitting on the shelf. Burt got up from the table to grab the photo album, flipping through it and having a chuckle at one of the pictures. Finn and Carole looked over to Burt, Carole getting up from the seat and bringing Finn with her to the living room.

"Finn, what the hell were you wearing here?" Burt chuckled, showing Finn a picture of him in a Madonna inspired costume. Finn let out what was a mix between a sob and a laugh, looking at the picture.

"Kurt was being bullied by some football players because they said he was a freak." Finn explained, still looking at Burt. "So to prove a point, I put on a Madonna inspired costume and let them know that if Kurt was a freak, then so was I. I can't believe Kurt kept that picture." Finn looked down to the next picture in the photo album, pointing at it as he used his other hand to wipe his tears. "Oh, god I remember this one." It was a picture of Finn, Rachel and New Directions wearing New York t-shirts and dancing in the courtyard. "No one wanted to join the Glee Club, well except for Sam and Sunshine…before Rachel sent Sunshine to a crack house." Finn laughed, flipping the page and smiling at the next photo. It was Finn and Rachel in the choir room and it looked like they were in the middle of singing. "This one was when we were singing 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart'. She told me that she thought she wasn't a nice person because she only does things when there's something in it for her. At the time that was true...but not anymore. I told her I still liked her. I meant it too…" Finn flipped a couple pages and found a picture that made Burt, Carole and Finn smile widely. "Ah, your wedding."

"You were dancing with Kurt…" Carole smiled fondly at the picture. "I remember that. I think that was the moment that cemented you two were brothers." Finn nodded, flipping a page, letting out a loud laugh as he started at the picture. Carole shook her head with a smile on her face. "Oh no, I remember this one very well."

"Grilled Cheesus." Finn laughed. "I thought the sandwich had magical powers. Okay, I know Kurt put some of these in here and I'm going to kill him for the Grilled Cheesus one." Burt and Carole laughed, watching Finn flip the page. Finn's smile faltered, his face turning a bit sad. Burt and Carole stared at the picture—it was Finn and Rachel kissing on the Nationals stage in New York City. Finn ran a thumb across the picture, still staring at it with sadness. Finn cleared his throat in order to say something. "This was when Rachel and I accidentally ruined Nationals. Well, it was my fault. It didn't matter though…we called that "The Kiss of the Century." Finn took a deep breath while Burt patted Finn's back. "I would do anything to go back to this moment…I think it was then when I knew I wanted to be with Rachel. She's my whole world. Do you think she's going to ever remember me again?"

"I have a strong feeling she will." Burt answered, staring at his son. "But Finn, I'm going to be honest with you…if there's a slight chance that she doesn't remember you…then it might have to be time to move on as painful as it may be. I know it's hard, buddy…but sometimes you have to face reality sometimes. Personally, I hope it doesn't get to that point where you have to move on. I really hope so." Finn nodded his head to Burt's words as he clutched the photo album in his hand.

"I don't want it to get to that point." Finn said, staring at Burt. "I'm going to try to get Rachel to remember everyone and everything—including me. No matter how long it takes, even if it's the last thing I do. I'm going to get Rachel Barbra Berry to remember me." Finn had tears going down his cheeks as he made his speech, Carole rubbing Finn's back and Burt nodding his head with a small smile.

"You're no longer that insecure teenager I first met that called a lamp 'faggy' because you disliked the lamp." Burt smiled fondly at Finn. "You're a man Finn. You're truly a man. I'm just glad that I'm here to see it."

"Um, about the whole lamp thing…" Finn cleared his throat, staring at Burt. "I'm really sorry about that. I…"

"No, you don't have to apologize, Finn." Burt said. "You weren't talking about Kurt, I know you weren't. You didn't judge anyone based on their sexual orientation or their situation. You were willing to become everyone's friend just so they wouldn't feel left out. To be honest, I was teaching myself a lesson. I guess I used you as a way to learn it. You are a wonderful person, and frankly I don't know how many times I'm going to tell you that. I just want you to know that you are a good person and that there's no one out there like you. They don't make them like you." Finn tried to wipe the tears that were falling from his face, but there were just too many tears for him to try to dab away. Burt pulled Finn into a hug, Finn clutching onto Burt tightly and feeling some comfort. "I love you, Finn."

"I love you too." Finn tearfully said. Carole walked over to Burt and joined the hug, the three of them standing in the middle of the loft having an emotional family moment.

* * *

"Ready to go home, Rachel?" Kurt wondered as he stood in the hospital room with Rachel. Rachel gazed at Kurt with wonder, wanting to know who he was.

"I'm sorry, who are you? Do I know you?" Rachel pointed to Kurt.

"Right, you have amnesia." Kurt sighed, forcing a smile on his face. "My name is Kurt Hummel. Come on Rachel, you have to know me…I'm your gay best friend. We live together in New York. We've been friends since the eleventh grade…tenth grade we were at each other's throats." Kurt then did the 'Single Ladies' hand dance for Rachel, but Rachel didn't remember.

"I wouldn't try to force her to remember." The doctor advised Kurt. "Sometimes they remember on their own after a good night's sleep, sometimes there are things that trigger their memory. If you are going to try to get her to remember something, then I have an idea. Is there anything Rachel likes to do more than anything in the entire world?"

"She loves to sing and be the center of attention if that's what you're wondering." Kurt shrugged his shoulders. "Why?"

"Maybe you can use her love for music as an idea to trigger her memory. Maybe singing songs that you've sung before will cause something to click in her mind. It's a thought." The doctor shrugged his shoulders. Kurt felt his mind whirring, clapping his hands as he pointed to Rachel.

"Thank you, doctor. Come on Rachel." Kurt grabbed Rachel's hand, pulling her out of the room as they both headed down the hallway.

"Where are we going?!" Rachel yelled to Kurt.

"We're going home! I have an idea!" Kurt yelled, staring at his friend. Kurt was going to get Rachel to remember everyone—including the love of her life; Finn.

* * *

Rachel sat in a chair in the living room, gazing at the pictures, the furniture and out the window. Did Rachel really live in this apartment? It was so big and spacy—something she hadn't anticipated. As Rachel sat in the living room absentmindedly, everyone else was in the kitchen, observing her.

"So what did the doctor tell you to do again?" Quinn asked, turning to Kurt. Kurt looked over at Rachel who was still looking out the window, giving Quinn a small smile.

"We're going to sing." Kurt answered.

"Singing doesn't solve everything." Puck stared at Kurt, wondering where he got such an idea from.

"It doesn't solve everything, you're right." Kurt said. "But in this case, it could help Rachel. We all had at least one duet with Rachel, right?" Everyone in the room nodded their head. "All right, so we'll sing our favorite duet with Rachel. Hopefully she'll remember us."

"I only had one duet with her." Puck raised his hand slightly.

"Then this should be an easy assignment for you." Kurt answered back. "All right, who's going to go first? Remember, we have to take this slow."

"Since this is an easy assignment for me, I'll go first." Puck grabbed his guitar that was in the kitchen, making his way over to Rachel. Finn watched from the kitchen, crossing his arms with hope that Rachel would at least make some progress. Puck sat in front of Rachel with the guitar, looking at her with a smile. "Hi Rachel."

"Hello." Rachel stared at Puck as she folded her arms. Puck looked down at the guitar, playing a few cords…until Rachel leaned over and kissed him out of nowhere. Puck's eyes widened, looking over to the kitchen. Finn's eyes widened and his mouth opened in shock. Santana started laughing while Kurt and Quinn looked uncomfortable. Rachel parted her lips from Puck, staring at him with interest. "Sorry. I thought you came over here because you wanted to kiss me. You're pretty hot." Puck cleared his throat, letting out a chuckle.

"Yeah…" Puck looked away from Rachel. "My name is Noah but everyone calls me Puck. We're going to sing because I think this is the only way you're going to actually remember me. Does that sound good, Rachel?"

"Sounds great, Norbit." Rachel said, causing Santana to laugh in hysterics in the kitchen. Quinn shot Santana a look, but Santana continued with her laughing.

"Santana…not helping." Kurt scolded, still looking at Rachel and Puck.

"So do you think this is going to work?" Mr. Schuester leaned closer to Kurt, asking quietly.

"I think it will work if we take it slow." Kurt said. "And if not, then at least Quinn gets to see a soft side to Puck." Quinn smiled softly, hearing the music coming from Puck's guitar. Rachel stared at the guitar, suddenly remembering the song that Puck was playing. She continued to stare at him, letting her vocals mesh with his.

_{Puck and Rachel stare at each other as Puck plays the guitar and Rachel looks at him with a curious glance}_

_[Rachel]  
Picture perfect memories  
Scattered all round the floor  
Reaching for the phone cause  
I can't fight it anymore_

_[Rachel and Puck]  
And I wonder if I ever cross your mind_

_[Rachel]  
For me it happens all the time_

_[Rachel and Puck]  
It's a quarter after one  
I'm all alone and I need you now  
Said I wouldn't call  
But I lost all control and I need you now  
And I don't know how I can do without  
I just need you now_

_[Puck]  
Another shot of whiskey  
Can't stop looking at the door  
Wishing you come sweeping  
In the way you did before_

_[Puck and Rachel]  
And I wonder if I ever cross your mind_

_[Puck]  
For me it happens all the time_

_[Rachel and Puck]  
It's a quarter after one  
I'm a little drunk and I need you now  
Said I wouldn't call  
And I lost all control and I need you now  
And I don't know how I can do without  
I just need you now_

_[Puck]  
Whoa, whoa_

_[Rachel]  
Whoa, whoa_

_{Rachel remembers singing the song with Puck during Glee Club their junior year, Rachel remembering that she was staring solely at Puck. Rachel starts hugging him as they both continue singing. The others stare at Rachel with a grin}_

_[Rachel and Puck]  
Guess I'd rather hurt than feel nothing at all_

_[Rachel]  
It's a quarter after one  
I'm all alone and I need you now_

_[Puck]  
And I said I wouldn't call  
But I'm a little drunk and I need you now_

_[Rachel and Puck]  
And I don't know how I can do without  
I just need you now  
Whoa, whoa_

_[Rachel]  
Oh baby I need you now_

"PUCK!" Rachel screamed as soon as the song finished playing, Rachel wrapping her arms around him tightly. "I remember you! I remember you! I remember we sang this song in Glee Club and it was to bring the football players and the Glee Club together so that they could perform at halftime!"

"So you do remember me!" Puck smiled. "Do you remember kissing me five minutes ago?" Rachel's smile disappeared, looking almost as if she was disgusted.

"Oh my god…I KISSED YOU! EWW!" Rachel started wiping her lips, shaking her head with repulsion. "Oh my god!" Rachel got up and walked away towards the bathroom. Everyone else started clapping for Puck as he bowed and held his guitar close to him.

"At least she remembers you…Norbit." Santana smirked, letting out laughter again. Puck studied Finn's face, noticing that Finn was thinking.

"Finn…you're not mad are you?" Puck wondered. Finn shook his head, giving Puck a fake smile.

"No, I'm not mad…" Finn said before lunging at Puck. Santana, Kurt and Quinn held Finn back as Finn started screaming at Puck. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, PUCKERMAN!"

"FINN!" Quinn yelled, causing Finn to turn to Quinn. "Trying to kill Puck isn't going to solve anything. Look, Kurt's idea is working. So we'll slowly jog her memory. Please…don't kill your best friend." Finn sighed, looking over to Puck.

"Sorry, I'm just…I'm a little tense." Finn sighed.

"We all are." Blaine walked over to Finn, patting his shoulder. "Look, let's all go in there and sing with Rachel. The sooner we can jog her memory, the better." Finn let out a sigh, following the others into the living room. Rachel entered the living room again, spotting the others standing there. Rachel sat down in the chair, looking confused.

"What's going on here?" Rachel wondered. She gazed at everyone as Santana made her way over to her.

"All right, Rachel. I'm going to give it to you straight." Santana sat down pointing to everyone. "That's Blaine, Mr. Schuester, Quinn, Kurt, Finn, Burt, Carole…and I'm the gorgeous Santana, who will make sure you drink toilet water if you mispronounce my name. You may not know them but soon enough you will. Here, I'll explain it. Blaine is the gay kid with the bow tie fetish, which I'm sure he got from watching too much _Bill Nye: The Science Guy_. Mr. Schuester was our teacher who can't seem to find friends his own age. Quinn is your friend who's vocals are so light, it sounds like she swallowed a freaking angel on her way out of her mother's birth canal. Kurt is your gay best friend who happens to be with Bill Nye's lovechild, and has a thing for lamps that look like they came from his dead aunts' attic. Finn over there is supposedly the love of your life but wait till you get this; his nipples are so puffy that they look like the defective Hershey kisses that are put to the side because they aren't good enough for consumers. And those two over there are Burt and Carole, the parents to Lady Hummel and Frankenteen. I'm Santana. I was your bitter enemy for about three years until last year I grew to like you. Hopefully this run through will help you remember everyone and we can move on from this and everything can go back to normal, right?" Rachel blankly stared at Santana, shaking her head slowly. Santana let out a sigh, turning to Finn. "I tried Frankenteen. I really tried."

"Santana." Finn gruffly said, noticing that her insulting everyone wasn't going to get anywhere. Santana sighed, staring back at Rachel.

"Do you at least know who you are?" Santana questioned. Rachel slightly nodded her head, taking out her phone and showing Santana a picture.

"I'm this girl right here…the one next to the trophy." Rachel said.

"Right." Santana clapped her hands. "She finally got something. All right. Let's play a little quiz, to get you to remember something. When's your birthday?"

"Um…December, 18 1994." Rachel answered, looking at Santana.

"There's one. All right. How old are you?"

"Um…19?" Rachel did the math in her head, causing Santana to clap.

"All right, last one. What was the first duet we willingly did together in Glee Club?" Santana wondered. Rachel shook her head, shrugging her shoulders as if she didn't know. "All right, I guess I'll show you. Frankenteen! Drums!"

_{Finn starts banging the drums in the corner of the loft while Puck plays the guitar. Santana walks around Rachel with a smile and grabs her hand}_

_[Santana]  
I don't' know why I like it…I just do._

_Oooh, ooh  
Hey_

_I've been hearing your heartbeat inside of me  
I keep your photograph inside of my bed  
Living in a world of fantasies  
I can't get you out of my head_

_[Rachel]  
I've been waiting for the phone to ring all night  
Why you wanna make me feel so good  
I got a love of my own baby  
I shouldn't get so hung up on you_

_[Rachel and Santana]  
I remember the way that we touched  
I wish I didn't like it so much (Santana: Uh!)_

_Oh!_

_I get so emotional baby  
Every time I think of you  
I get so emotional baby  
Ain't it shocking what love can do_

_[Rachel]  
Ain't it shocking what love can do_

_[Rachel and Santana]  
Ain't it shocking what love can do_

_Hee!_

_I watch you walk into the room baby  
I gotta watch you walk out  
I like the animal way you move  
And when you talk  
I just watch your mouth_

_I remember the way that we touched  
I wish I didn't like it so much (Santana: Uh!)_

_Oh!_

_I get so emotional baby  
Every time I think of you  
I get so emotional baby_

_[Rachel]  
Ain't it shocking what love can do_

_[Santana]  
Ain't it shocking what love can do  
You got me  
You got me_

_{Rachel has flashbacks to when her and Santana did the dance number and her smile widens as she does the dance moves from then to show Santana she remembers her and the song}_

_[Rachel and Santana]  
I remember the way that we touched  
I wish I didn't like it so much (Santana: Uh!)_

_Oh!_

_I get so emotional baby  
Every time I think of you  
I get so emotional baby  
Ain't it shocking what love can do_

_[Rachel]  
I get so emotional!_

_[Santana]  
Oh baby_

_[Rachel and Santana]_

_Ain't it shocking what love can do!_

_OH YEAH!_

Santana and Rachel gave each other a hug as the others smiled. Finn watched from behind the drums, feeling a bit left out. After watching Rachel remember Santana, he had to admit that he felt a little jealous. He missed Rachel…and his feelings were a bit hurt that Rachel couldn't remember him. No matter how much he wanted Rachel to remember him…she just…couldn't. Finn held onto his drumsticks, a hurtful expression appearing on his face as he stared at Rachel. Finn wanted to help Rachel more than anything—but he was having trouble doing that when his heart blocked his brain, his emotions taking over his mind.

* * *

Rachel sat in her bed that evening, looking through a book as Finn entered the bedroom. Rachel gazed at Finn with an eyebrow raised, putting the covers over her and trying to prevent Finn from seeing anything. Finn looked over at Rachel, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"Nothing I haven't seen before, Rachel." Finn said. Rachel's eyes widened, her face scrunching in anger.

"How dare you!" Rachel shouted, looking at Finn. Finn stared at Rachel, wondering what was her problem. "Do you have no respect for women?!"

"Maybe if you remembered me, you would know!" Finn tersely answered, going into the closet. Rachel got up from the bed, putting her hand on the closet door.

"What do you think you're doing, Flynn?" Rachel wanted to know.

"I'm getting my clothes, my clothes are in here?" Finn sighed, going towards the door. Rachel pushed Finn away from the door, causing Finn to look at her in shock. "What the hell, Rachel?!"

"I'm sorry but why would your stuff be in my closet?" Rachel shook her head, not understanding.

"Because you asked me to move in here!" Finn exclaimed. He then took in Rachel's clothing, noticing the reindeer sweater, the plaid skirt, the headband, her penny loafers. Rachel was dressing like she was in High School all over again! "Speaking of clothes, what the hell are you wearing? You don't dress like that anymore!"

"Really? Because I found these and I find these more comfortable than the revealing clothes in the closet. I would _never_ wear something like that." Rachel scoffed. "Besides, I don't need boys like you trying to sex me up. It's not going to work, Flynn."

"Too late for the sexing up part." Finn muttered under his breath before realizing that Rachel heard him. She looked shocked, appalled and every emotion in between. "Yes Rachel, we had sex before." Finn pointed to her. "Multiple times actually. So stop acting as if you're the Virgin Mary because you've had sex with me before and you _loved_ it. Every. Single. Time."

"You are such a pig, making up these lies!" Rachel shouted, not noticing that Finn was on the verge of erupting.

"You know what? Forget it! I'll sleep with these clothes on! How about that!" Finn started to make his way towards their bed until Rachel walked in front of him.

"What the hell are you doing now?!" Rachel stamped her feet on the ground, looking at Finn.

"I'm going to sleep!" Finn screamed. "I can't go to sleep now?!"

"In your room, you can!" Rachel matched Finn's tone.

"THIS IS MY ROOM!" Finn bellowed. He then turned around and kicked the chair right behind him, feeling anger and frustration boiling over. Finn took deep breaths, trying hard not to get angry but it was already too late for that.

"Flynn, what is your problem?" Rachel crossed her arms. Finn walked over to the bed, sitting down and burying his face in his hands. "Your attitude is uncalled for, I just hope you know."

"Why can't you remember me?!" Finn yelled, staring at Rachel. "You remembered Puck when he sang to you…and you remembered Santana when she sang to you. You remembered Quinn when she sang and…Mr. Schuester and Blaine and…even my parents! You even remembered my parents! You remembered them but you can't remember me! Why can't you remember me?! I was your first love!"

"I don't know why I don't remember you!" Rachel shouted. "You've been pushing me to remember you ever since I woke up at the hospital, but the truth of the matter is, I don't and I'm sick of you trying to push your way into my mind! What point of I don't remember you, don't you understand?"

"The don't part." Finn seethed, looking away from Rachel. "You remembered everyone except for the one person that loved you more than life itself. You always told me that you would be there for me, no matter what. That we would be together forever. That if I needed a hand to hold…I could hold yours." Finn got up from the bed, staring at Rachel as she simply walked past him and sat down on the bed herself. All this information was too much for Rachel to take in.

"I guess you just weren't important to me…" Rachel saw Finn's face contort in hurt and sadness, his eyes watering and him being on the verge of tears. "You probably had no impact in my life, Flynn. That's all there is to it." Finn looked at Rachel sadly, shaking his head.

"Are you saying that you want nothing to do with me?" Finn felt his voice cracked as he asked the question. Rachel shrugged her shoulders, letting out a sigh.

"I don't even know you…" Rachel softly said before her face became serious. "And now that I've seen the way that you really are…I'm not sure that I want to…" Finn nodded his head slowly, looking away from her as a single tear fell from Finn's face. This was probably it…probably time to take Burt's advice and go. Rachel wanted nothing to do with him and there was no way that he was going to convince her now. Finn sighed, walking over to the front door, holding onto the knob and looking back at Rachel sadly.

"So…" Finn softly said. "I guess this is goodbye?" Rachel didn't show any remorse. Her face was stone cold.

"I guess it is." Rachel simply said. Finn opened the door as more tears fell from his face.

"Goodbye Rachel…" Finn choked out as he left the room, closing the door to leave a confused Rachel sitting on what was formerly their bed. Finn walked along the loft, seeing Puck sleeping on the couch as he tip-toed. He didn't want anyone to see that he was leaving. Finn took one last look at the loft he called home for the last three months, opening the door and closing it behind him.

* * *

Finn sat in the NYADA Glee Club choir room almost in a daze. He had the key to the room and to the building so he was sitting there at twelve in the morning, simply gazing over at the empty choir room. Finn was knocked out of his thoughts when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around to spot Quinn standing there, folding her hands together and making her way next to him. Finn gave Quinn a sad smile, turning back to the empty chairs.

"I knew I'd find you here." Quinn said, taking a seat next to Finn. Finn nodded his head slowly, continuing his gaze to the seats. "Are you okay, Finn?"

"To be honest…it feels like my heart was just ripped out of my body and that I have no purpose in this world." Finn quietly admitted, closing his eyes as a tear fell from his face. "She said I wasn't important to her…"

"Finn, remember she has amnesia. She doesn't know what she's saying." Quinn sighed, putting a hand on Finn's shoulder.

"Well she seemed quite clear there…" Finn sighed. He looked depressed and Quinn was worried about him. She didn't want to ask…but this question was lingering in her mind for a while.

"So are you and Rachel…_over_?" Quinn winced as she asked, not wanting to hurt Finns' feelings. Finn shrugged his shoulders, finally nodding his head slightly.

"Yeah…I guess we are." Finn admitted. "Burt said that if things got to this point…it would just be for the best to walk away…there's nothing more I can do. All you had to do is sing _I Feel Pretty / Unpretty_ with her and she remembered when you both went to the doctor for her nose. Kurt had to sing _Happy Days Are Here Again / Get Happy_ and she remembered Kurt. Blaine sang _Don't You Want Me_ and she remembered getting drunk at a party. She remembered Burt because Kurt mentioned his cancer! She remembered my mom because…I don't even know what my mom did, yet she remembered! Mr. Schue had to sing just one line of _Gold Digger_ for Rachel to remember him! Me? I sing, I try to jog her memory and I'm made to look like the bad guy. Why is life so unfair, Quinn?! Why is it unfair?!"

"I don't know, Finn…I don't know." Quinn sighed. "I know you tried hard to be patient with her…I know. But like your father said, sometimes it's best that we…let go, especially when it looks like things aren't going to get any better. I know this hurts now. I know…" Finn sighed, looking away from Quinn as she got up from the chair. "Do you want to be alone?" Finn shook his head, as Quinn smiled softly. "Good…because I brought some friends to help you get through this. Finn turned around, seeing Blaine, Kurt, Santana, Puck and Mr. Schuester enter the choir room, looking right at Finn as Finn exhaled.

"I always thought that Rachel and I were endgame." Finn softly said. "How are we endgame if Rachel doesn't even remember me? This looks like the end of the road…I don't know."

"I know things look tough now Finn…but you have to keep holding on." Mr. Schuester tried to be comforting towards his former student. "Whatever Rachel said, you can't take to heart. She's not herself right now."

"She seems to remember you all just fine." Finn sneered. "Yet I'm a stranger and there's nothing I can do. I don't even have Rachel anymore. All I have is…me. And in this world…just me in New York is going to be a very lonely ride."

_{Finn stares at the two choir room chairs in front of him, picturing him and Rachel in them but he looks saddened and lets tears fall from his face}_

_[Finn]  
Come up to meet you  
Tell you I'm sorry  
You don't know how lovely you are  
I had to find you  
Tell you I need you  
Tell you I set you apart_

_{Blaine walks over and grabs a chair, staring at Finn with a saddened expression}_

_[Blaine]  
Tell me your secrets  
And ask me your questions  
Oh lets go back to the start  
Running in circles  
Coming up tells  
Heads on a science apart_

_{Santana walks over to Finn and rubs his back}_

_[Santana]  
Nobody said it was easy_

_[Finn and Blaine]  
It's such a same for us to part_

_[Santana]  
Nobody said it was easy_

_[Finn and Blaine]  
No one ever said it would be this hard  
Oh take me back to the start_

_{Kurt walks over to Finn and grabs Finn's hand with a comforting smile on his face.}_

_[Kurt]  
I was just guessing  
At numbers and figures  
Pulling the puzzles apart_

_{Quinn hugs Finn tightly as Finn continues to look upset and the others stare at him}_

_[Quinn]  
Questions of science  
Science and progress  
Do not speak as loud as my heart_

_[Mr. Schuester, Puck and Santana]  
Tell me you love me  
Come back and haunt me  
Oh when I rush to the start_

_{Scene changes to Rachel going through her closet and putting all of Finn's things in a box for when he comes back for his stuff. Rachel turns and spots the shirt Finn gave her before Sectionals and she looks confused as she picks it up. She stares at the shirt, observing it and she looks over at the nightstand, seeing her engagement ring there. Rachel walks over and takes the engagement ring in her hand and she covers her hand with her mouth. She looks at Finn's things and she sits in the corner, thinking about the last four years with her, Finn and them being in the Glee Club, Finn coming to New York, both of them going to NYADA and both of them competing during Sectionals. Rachel buries her face in her hands and starts to cry as she realizes she remembers something important.}_

_[Finn and Rachel]  
Running in circles  
Chasing our tails  
Coming back as we are_

_Nobody said it was easy  
Oh it's such a shame for us to part  
Nobody said it was easy  
No one ever said it would be so hard_

_[Finn, Quinn, Blaine, Kurt, Santana, Puck and Mr. Schuester] (Rachel)  
Aa-ah-ah (I'm going back to the start!)  
Nobody said it was easy!  
No, no, no, no (Yeah, OH!)  
Nobody said it was easy (Nobody said it was easy)  
No, no, no, no  
Nobody said it was easy (No, Whoa)  
No, no, no, no_

_[Finn and Rachel with Quinn, Blaine, Kurt, Santana, Puck and Mr. Schuester]  
Nobody said it was easy_

* * *

The next morning Finn sat in a Starbucks nearby the loft after getting a text from Rachel to meet him there. He was still upset from the night before, but it made him more upset when she wrote his name as 'Flynn' during the text. Unless he was some character from a Disney movie that was a bandit, his name was _Finn_. Finn spotted Rachel entering the Starbucks, but he did a double take at her clothing. He couldn't help but stare. For one thing, she wasn't wearing her penny loafers and reindeer sweaters. Instead she was wearing jeggings, some winter boots, her ombre hair styled—and _his_ plaid shirt. Rachel walked over to him, sitting down in the seat next to him. Rachel stared at him and folded her hands, Finn just gazing at Rachel with a groan.

"You called me here." Finn shrugged his shoulders. "What do you want?"

"Well…for starters I want to apologize for last night." Rachel continued to look at him. "What I said to you was uncalled for and it was wrong. You are the most important person in my entire life and I can't believe it took me finding the shirt you gave to me before Sectionals to realize that."

"Yeah well…" Finn started to say until his eyes widened. He turned back to Rachel, his mouth now gaping open. "You…you said the shirt I gave you before Sectionals. You…you remembered I gave you that shirt before Sectionals! That's…wow!"

"That's not the only thing I remembered." Rachel grinned at him, pulling him in for a hug, as she felt emotional. "I remembered that we won…I also remembered that you were named MVP. I also remembered something else." Rachel looked into Finn's eyes, her eyes watering as if she was about to cry.

"What else did you remember?" Finn wondered, gazing at her. Rachel crashed her lips onto Finn's, hungrily kissing him as Finn did the same. Finn and Rachel intensely made out for a few moments before Rachel parted her lips from his.

"I remembered everything last night…because I remembered _you_. I love you Finn…and I'm so sorry for hurting you. I love you, so, so much…I never want to forget you or lose you again! You're my whole world!" Rachel kissed Finn hungrily again, Finn responding to the kiss with passion and intensity. Rachel and Finn parted once more as Rachel clung onto the back of Finn's neck. "I love you…I love you. I can't stop saying I love you."

"I love you, Rachel. I love you _so_ much." Finn got up from his chair, picking Rachel up as she laughed slightly.

"Where are we going?" Rachel breathed in and out as she bit her lip.

"We're going home…" Finn leaned closer to Rachel's face, noticing that a blush was creeping on her face. "So we can get…_reacquainted_." Rachel giggled, gripping onto Finn's neck, pressing her lips to his cheek.

"What are we waiting for?" Rachel wiggled her eyebrows, allowing Finn and Rachel to head out the door and rush to their Brooklyn loft apartment. As soon as Finn opened the door to the loft, he faced Rachel, picking her up so that she had her legs wrapped around his waist, pressing fluttering kisses on her lips. As soon as Rachel and Finn reached the bedroom, Finn continued to look at her, taking off his jacket and pressed hungry kisses along her neck. Finn slowed down after a moment, gazing into her eyes. His eyes were full of love and adornment.

"So what should we do now, Rachel Barbra…_Hudson_?" Finn smiled. Rachel kissed Finn, running a hand through his hair.

"Make love to me, Finn Hudson. Make love to me like you never made love to me before." Rachel grinned. "I want it to be so magical that I_ remember_ it for the rest of my life."

And that was _exactly_ what Finn did.

* * *

_**GUEST STARRING**_

_**Dianna Agron as Quinn Fabray**_

_**Matthew Morrison as Will Schuester**_

_**Darren Criss as Blaine Anderson**_

_**Mike O'Malley as Burt Hummel**_

_**Remy Rosemont as Carole Hudson**_

_**SONG(S):**_

_**Make You Feel My Love (Originally by Adele): Performed by Finn Hudson and Rachel Berry**_

_**Need You Now (Originally by Lady Antebellum): Performed by Rachel Berry and Noah "Puck" Puckerman**_

_**So Emotional (Originally by Whitney Houston): Performed by Santana Lopez and Rachel Berry**_

_**The Scientist (Originally by Coldplay): Performed by Finn Hudson, Blaine Anderson, Santana Lopez, Kurt Hummel, Quinn Fabray, Will Schuester, Noah "Puck" Puckerman and Rachel Berry**_

* * *

_**Voice Over: Next Tuesday, the gang all comes to New York to kick off the Holidays with a good old fashioned Kiki! Wait, what's a Kiki?**_

_{__Shows Kurt, Rachel, Finn and Santana dancing with Isabelle Wright and some of her guests}_

_Kurt(Singing): "A Kiki is a party, for calming all your nerves…"_

_**Voice Over: Tensions rise**_

_{Santana looks at Brittany as Brittany sighs}_

_Brittany: You were taking too long to get back to me so…I have a new boyfriend._

_Santana(Shocked): What…who?_

_**Voice Over: Romances are on fire**_

_{Shows Rachel in some lingerie as Finn sits on the bed with an excited grin}_

_Rachel: What do you think of this one? _

_Finn: It's so…smoking…_

_Rachel: I know…it's for our honeymoon…_

_{Finn's face twists in confusion as he looks at Rachel with wanting}_

_Finn: I thought that was for right now…_

_**Voice Over: And rivalries intensify.**_

_{Shows Santana and Puck standing outside the bathroom as Santana crosses her arms.}_

_Santana: When the hell are you going home?_

_Puck: I _am_ home. I live here now. _

_{Santana points a finger at Puck as she shakes her head angrily}_

_Santana: No me gusta!_

_**Voice Over: Sarah Jessica Parker guest stars. "Glee: The New York Story" continues with an all new episode, next Tuesday! **_


End file.
